GIFT  OF 

SEELEY  W.  MUDD 

and 

GEORGE  I.  COCHRAN     MEYER  ELSASSER 

DR.JOHNR.  HAYNES    WILLIAM  L.  HONNOLD 

JAMES  R.  MARTIN         MRS.  JOSEPH  F.  SARTOR! 

to  the 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

SOUTHERN  BRANCH 


y^t**^^    -^^- 


THE   EVOLUTION   OF  WHIST 


-^^^  N    •  X 


^  «. 


THE 


Evolution  of  Whist 


A    STUDY    OF    THE    PROGRESSIVE   CHANGES 

WHICH     THE     GAME     HAS     PASSED 

THROUGH    FROM    ITS    ORIGIN 

TO  THE  PRESENT  TIME 


WILLIAM    POLE,    F.R.S. 

MUS.    DOC.   OXON. 

KNIGHT  COMMANDER   OF   THE   IMPERIAL  JAPANESE   ORDER  OF 
THE   RISING   SUN 

AUTHOR   OF 

'THE  THEORY  OF  THE   MODERN  SCIENTIFIC   GAME   OF  WHIST,' 

"the   PHILOSOPHY  OF  WHIST,"   ETC.,   ETC. 

HONORARY   MEMBER   OF   THE   AMERICAN   WHIST   LEAGUE 


>      ,       J       >  J 


NEW    YORK 
LONGMANS,    GREEN,    AND     CO. 

AND  LONDON 

1895 


91855 


COPYRIGHT,  1894,  BY 

LONGMANS,   GREEN,   AND    CO. 


TROW  DIRECTORY 

PRINTINQ  AND   BOOKBINOINQ  COMPANY 

NEW   YORK 


To  Henry  Jones,  Esq. 

My  dear  Jones  : 

In  my  endeavour  to  trace  out  the  Evolution  of 
Whist,  I  have  found  one  name  prominently  be- 
fore me  in  every  stage ; — that  of  '^  Cavendish.'' 

It  is  he  who,  by  his  industrious  investigations^ 
has  enligJitened  lis  as  to  the  fashioning  of  its  em- 
bryonic elements,  in  the  distant  and  obscure  past, 
zvhile  it  had  only  a  vague  existence. 

It  is  he  zvJio  has  pointed  out  how  it  flashed 
upon  society  at  its  birth,  and  for  a  long  period 
dazzled  the  intellect  and  fashion  of  Europe. 

It  was  he  who,  in  its  maturity,  took  the  chief 
part  in  defining  and  proclaiming  its  great  powers. 

And  it  is  he  who,  largely  by  his  ozvn  efforts, 
has  invested  its  old  age  zvith  new  attractions, 
and  spread  them  over  a  nezv  world. 

''  Cavendish  "  dedicated  his  work  to  the  most 
eminent  W J  list  personage  then  living ;  I  hope 
you  will  not  think  me  too  presumptuous  in  doing 
tJie  same. 

Yours  very  faithfully, 

William  Pole. 


PREFACE 

It  is  with  some  diffidence  that  I  have  com- 
plied with   a  request,  from  several   quarters, 
that    I    would    write    further    about    Whist. 
The  latest  progress  in   the  game  has  taken 
the  form  of  very  elaborate  detail  in  the  prac- 
tical Rules  ;  and  I  have  always  preferred  to 
leave  this  branch  of  the  subject  in  the  hands 
^       of  more  experienced  players,  confining   my 
^       own   province  to  considerations  of    a  wider 
H       range  and  more  general  character. 

I   have,  however,  been  glad  to  know   that 
M       this  latter  course   has  not  been  without  util- 
^H       ity  ;  and   I  venture  to  think  that,  in  the  com- 
^       plicated    maze  of   practical   instruction   now 
offered  to  students,  it  may  be  salutar}^  to' in- 
terpose   some    more    comprehensive    views. 
And   I  believe  that  such  an  object  may  be 
most  usefully  attained  by  a  careful  scientific 
study  of  the  whole  history  of  the  game;  not 
as  a  mere  curious  collection  of  dry  facts  and 
dates,  but  for  the  purpose  of  tracing  out  the 
principles   and    motives    which    have    deter- 
mined and  guided  its  progressive  changes. 


Vlll  PREFACE 

The  influence  of  a  philosophical  study  of 
History  on  the  judgment  of  current  events 
is  now  well  established  in  literature,  and 
there  seems  no  reason  why  it  should  not  be 
applicable  here.  The  progress  of  Whist 
proves  to  be  a  clear  case  of  gradual  Evolu- 
tion, which  has  never  yet  been  thoroughly 
examined,  and  this  is  a  want  I  have  endea- 
voured to  supply. 

It  is  impossible  to  write  on  historical  mat- 
ters without  copious  references,  and  I  have 
to  make  many  grateful  acknowledgments  of 
help  in  this  direction.  In  the  first  place  I 
have  to  thank  Mr.  Murray  for  liberally  allow- 
ing me  to  incorporate  in  these  pages,  so  far 
as  I  desired,  the  article  written  by  me  for  the 
Quarterly  Rcvieiv  of  January,  1871,  the  object 
of  that  article  being  somewhat  akin  to  my 
present  one,  though  on  a  more  limited  scale. 
Messrs.  De  la  Rue,  also,  have  been  good 
enough  to  give  me  free  permission  to  make 
extracts  from  the  excellent  works  published 
by  them. 

Then  I  have  to  make  a  special  acknowledg- 
ment to  the  Whist  authorities  in  the  United 
States  of  America.  The  position  which 
modern  Whist  has  taken  there  is  so  remark- 
able, that  1  have  thought  it  right  to  devote  a 
large  space  to  its  description  and  considera- 
tion, and  in  doing  this  I  have  had  the  kindest 


PREFACE  IX 

aid  from  the  Officers  of  the  American  Whist 
League.  And  further,  the  Editor  and  the 
proprietors  of  their  official  organ,  the  Mil- 
waukee Whist  Journal,  have  liberally  sanc- 
tioned my  making  free  use  of  any  matter 
therein  contained,  without  which,  indeed,  my 
work  would  have  been  impossible. 

And  lastly,  I  must  express  my  special  in- 
debtedness to  my  old  friend  ''  Cavendish," 
not  only  for  the  references  to  his  valuable 
works,  which  will  be  found  throughout  this 
volume,  but  for  personal  assistance  in  its 
preparation,  to  an  extent  which  I  cannot  at- 
tempt to  specify. 

W.  P. 

London,  January,  1895. 


CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION. 

PAGE 

The  love  of  gaming  appears  a  natural  instinct  in  man  ; 
but  he  has  impressed  upon  it  the  stamp  of  his 
great  mental  powers i 

Whist  is  a  remarkable  example  of  this  ennobling  in- 
fluence, and  hence  its  great  intellectual  attrac- 
tiveness,       2 

It  is  become  both  a  Science  and  an  Art,  and  each  of 

these  requires  special  study, 3 

The  immense  variety  which  has  been  developed  in  it, 

out  of  the  most  simple  means 3 

Even  to  such  an  extent  as  to  give  rise  to  different 
kinds  of  game,  all  based  on  one  elementary 
skeleton  form, 4 

These  varieties  have  been  brought  about  in  regular 

sequence,  by  a  gradual  process  of  evolution,  .       5 

It  is  possible  to  trace  distinct  stages  of  progress,  ap- 
proximately identified  with  particular  varieties  of 
game, 6 

But  the  later  forms,  though  generally  more  advanced 
in  their  character,  have  not  superseded  the  earlier 
ones,  and  need  not  do  so, 7 

Parallel  cases  in  the  biological  world, 7 

The  object  of  this  book  is  to  trace  the  gradual  Evolu- 
tion of  Whist,  and  to  discuss  the  aspects  which 
it  has  presented  in  the  different  stages  of  its  pro- 
gress,      8 


Xll  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

This  progress  may  be  approximately  divided  into  four 
Eras.  As  is  generally  the  case,  they  overlap,  or 
run  to  a  certain  extent  into  each  other  ;  but  they 
may  each  be  broadly  characterized  by  a  particular 
form  of  game, 9 

These  four  Eras,  and  their  corresponding  varieties  of 
game,  will  occupy  the  Four  Parts  into  which  the 
present  work  is  divided, 10 

PART    I. 

THE   PRIMITIVE    ERA, 

A.D.   1500  TO  1730. 

Chapter  I, 

Early  History. 

Whist  is  of  English  origin, 13 

The  game  of  "  Triumph,"  quoted  by  Latimer,   ...  14 

"  Gammer  Gurton's  Needle," 15 

Shakespeare, 16 

'•  Ruff  and  Honours," 17 

"Whisk."    Taylor, 18 

"Whist."     Cotton,  Pope,  Johnson, 19 

"  Swabbers," 22 

Tricks  of  Sharpers, 23 

Low  Character  of  the  Game, 24 

Thomson's  "  Seasons," 25 

Ombre  and  Quadrille 26 

Chapter  H. 

The   Primitive   Game. 

Whist  was  then  played  by  the  lower  class  of  people,  .     27 
The  kind  of  game  may  be  identified  by  wide-spread 

traditions  still  extant, 27 


CONTENTS  Xlll 

PAGE 

Description  of  the  essence  or  skeleton  of  Whist,  which 

runs  unchanged  through  all  forms, 28 

Object  of  the  play, 29 

The  means  by  which  this  object  was  attained  in  the 

Primitive  Game, 29 

Tricks  made  by  high  or  master  cards ;  or  by  trump- 
ing,      29 

Some  slight  consideration  given  to  the  partner;  re- 
turning his  lead, 30 

Avoidance  of  leading  trumps, 31 

Opportunities  for  skill, 31 

This  game  still  largely  played, 32 

PART    II. 

THE    ERA  OF    HOYLE, 
A.D.   1730  TO  i860. 

Chapter  III. 
History.     Hoyle,  Payne,  and  Matthews. 

The  Crown  Coffee-house  Whist  Party, 35 

Edmond  Hoyle, 36 

His  antecedents  and  education, 36 

His  long  study  of  the  game, 36 

He  resolves  to  teach  it  professionally, 37 

Records    of    this ;    the    Rambler ;    the    Gentleman  s 

Magazine, 37 

Notes  given  to  his  pupils, 37 

Afterwards  published  in  a  book, 38 

Its  great   success.     Remarkable   effect  produced  on 

Society, 39 

The  Humours  of  Whist,  a  satire, 39 

A  remarkable  "  coup," 40 


XIV  CONTENTS 


PAGE 


Whist  admitted  at  Court,  and  acknowledged  as  one  of 

the  Royal  amusements 42 

Whist  at  the  Universities, 42 

Death  of  Hoyle, 43 

Late  discoveries  of  contemporary  references  to  Hoyle 

and  his  work, 43 

Byron  and  Homer, 44 

Hoyle's  successors, 44 

Payne  and  his  Maxims, 44 

Whist  at  Bath, 45 

Matthe\YS's  Advice  to  the  Young  Whist  Player,  .  .  46 
Alexander  Thomson's  Epic  Poem,  "  Whist,"  in  twelve 

Cantos.  Its  pretensions  to  scholarship,  ...  47 
Whist  in  France.     Louis  XV,,  Josephine,  and  Marie 

Louise.     The  "  thinking  game," 48 

Talleyrand  and  his  mot, 48 

Deschapelles  and  his  Traite  du  Whiste, 48 

Whist  in  Austria.     Metternich, 49 

Whist  in  the  London  Clubs, 49 

Introduction  of  "  Short  Whist."     Its  true  explanation 

and  object.     Playing  to  the  score, 49 

Honour  Scores, 50 

Chapter  IV. 
The  Hoyle  Game. 

Improved  modes  of  considering  the  Game,  New 
Rules  given  out  by  the  Crown  Coffee-house 
party, 52 

New  and  more  intellectual  views  of  the  objects,  and 

the  modes  of  attaining  them, 53 

Different  treatment  of  master  cards, 53 

More  attention  to  the  relative  positions  of  the  cards  in 

the  four  hands, 53 


CONTENTS  XV 

PAGE 

The  long-suit  system, 54 

New  ideas  about  the  use  of  trumps,  and  the  process 

of  trumping, 54 

Hoyle's  probable  mode  of  illustrating  his  views,     .     .     54 
Inferences  as   to   the   hands  from  the   "  fall  of   the 

cards," 55 

Hoyle's  manner  of  teaching,  by  personal  instruction 

and  examples  of  play, 56 

Notes  or  memoranda  given  to  his  pupils,  which  have 

been  preserved  in  his  published  book,     ....     56 
Description  of  the  book  and  its  chief  contents  ;  its 

merits  and  defects, 57 

Modern  editions  of  it, 61 

Payne's  Maxims.  Their  laudable  object ;  their  im- 
proved arrangement  and  great  utility,     ....     62 

Some  examples  of  them, 62 

Matthews's  Treatise.     Its  general  arrangement,  and 

improved  views, 63 

His  classification  of  the  processes  in  the  play,    ...     64 
His  acute  perception   of  the   qualities   necessary  to 

make  a  good  player, 65 

Examples  of  his  teaching, 66 

Attention  given  by  Hoyle  and  Matthews  to  the  calcu- 
lation of  probabilities  as  affecting  Whist  play,      .     66 

Hoyle's  separate  book  on  the  subject, 67 

Resulting  nature  of  the  Game  of  Whist  as  left  by 

these  three  authorities 67 

Its   great   merits,   as   compared   with    the   Primitive 

Game,  in  an  intellectual  point  of  view,    ....     68 

Importance  attached  to  personal  skill, 68 

Reasons  why,  in  spite  of  all  subsequent  improvements, 
the  game  of  Hoyle  must  always  exist,  and  remain 
to  a  certain  extent  popular, 68 


XVI  CONTENTS 


PART    III. 


THE    PHILOSOPHICAL    ERA, 
FROM    i860   ONWARDS. 

Chapter  V. 

History.    Cavendish  and  Clay. 


PAGE 


General  nature  of  this  stage  of  the  Evolution,    ...     73 
Higher  interest  in  the  game,  produced  by  the  intro- 
duction of  Short  Whist,    .........     74 

Whist  in  the  London  Clubs.  Gradual  improve- 
ments,   .     , 74 

The  "  Little  Whist  School  "  formed  at  Cambridge  and 

continued  in  London, 75 

Their  earnest,  scientific,  and  practical  study  of  the 

game, 75 

The  "  Portland  "  Club.     James  Clay, 75 

Accidental  inducement  to  the  publication  of  some  of 
the  results  of  the  studies  of  the  Little  School,  by 

one  of  their  members, TJ 

"  Cavendish  "  on  Whist, 78 

"  Treatise  on  Short  Whist "  by  James  Clay,  .,..']% 
Great  importance  of  the  improvements  described  in 
these  two  works,  as  the  result  of  years  of  earnest 

study,  by  powerful  minds, 79 

Further  step  in  the  Evolution  made  by  the  consolida- 
tion of  these  improvements  into  a  general  Sys- 
tem,   80 

The  main  feature  of  this  being  the  combination  of  the 

hands  of  the  two  partners 80 

*'  The  Theory  of  Whist," 80 

Attention  revived  to  the  calculation  of  Probabilities,  as 
an  important  element  in  the  structure  of  the  im- 
proved Game, 81 


CONTENTS  XVll 


FACE 


Embodiment  of  this  in  "  The  Philosophy  of  Whist,"  .  8i 
The  principle  of  the   combination  of  the  hands  not 

new,  having  been  treated  of  previously,  ....  82 

In  France  by  the  General  Baron  de  Vautre,  ....  82 
And  in  Austria  by  the  Ritter  Ludwig  von  Coeckel- 

bergle-Diitzele, 83 

Notices  of  these  two  works, 83 

Reasons  why  the  idea  did  not  spread, 86 

Whist  in  high  literature  :  Eraser  s  Magazine  and  the 

Quarterly  Revieiu 87 

Amendment  and  consolidation  of  the  Laws  of  Whist, 

under  the  direction  of  Mr.  J.  L.  Baldwin,    ...  87 

The  American  Laws, 89 


Chapter  VL 

The  Philosophical  Game. 

This  is  based  on  the  Game  of  Hoyle,  but  has  the  ad- 
vantage of  systematic  consolidation  and  reduction 
to  Philosophical  principles, 90. 

Fitndamental  Princz'ples,  and  General  View  of  their 
Application. 

Its  great  feature  consists  in  the  more  perfect  cultiva- 
tion of  the  relations  between  the  two  partners,     .     91 

This  was  brought  about  by  the  London  Club  players 

and  the  Little  W' hist  School 92 

With  a  view  to  its  application  each  partner  must  adopt 

the  same  general  treatment  of  his  hand,      ...     92 

The  long-suit  system, 92 

Management  of  trumps.    Leading  them.     Ruffing  and 

forcing, 93 

Play  of  plain  suits 95 


XVlll  CONTENTS 

TAGE 

The  consideration  of  Probabilities.  Their  calculation  ; 
its  necessity  and  utility.  Early  attention  to  this 
subject  by  Hoyle  and  Matthews.     More  efficient 

modern  cultivation, 95 

The  first  plain  suit  lead.  Which  suit  and  which  card,  97 
Duty  of  your  partner.     Return  of  your  suit,  ....     99 

Play  of  second  and  third  hands 100 

The  discard, 100 

Coinninnicatio7t  between  the  Partners. 

Great  importance  of  this  subject, 100 

Ethical  principles  ;  "  Paley's  Moral  Philosophy,"    ,     .  loi 
Great  improvements  effected  in  this  stage  of  the  Evo- 
lution,      , 103 

The  chief  source  of  information  is  by  inferences  from 
the  cards  played,  as  determined  by  the  established 
rules  of  expediency  adopted  in  playing  them,  .     .  103 

Examples, 103 

Inferences  from  the  play  of  useless  or  indifferent  cards. 

Caution  required  in  playing  them, 104 

The  play  of  Sequences.    Its  great  importance  from  their 
frequent  recurrence.    Their  imperfect  treatment  in 
former  times.     Hoyle,  Payne,  and  Matthews,  .     .105 
Establishment,  in  this  form  of  game,  of  more  perfect 

rules.     "  Ccelebs  "  and  "  Cavendish,"      ....  106 

Return  of  the  partner's  lead, 108 

Erratic  play, 108 

The  Philosophical  Game  in  its  Educational  Aspects. 

Facility  with  which  it  lends  itself  to  instruction,  .  .109 
Difficulties  of  teaching  and  learning  the  simple  Hoyle 

game, no 

Contrast  with  the  Philosophical  Game,  on  account  of 

its  systematic  form, iii 


CONTEXTS  XIX 

PAGE 

Enormous  increase  in  the  cultivation  of  Whist  since 

the  Philosophical  form  has  been  established,    .     .   1 1 1 

Plan  of  teaching :  postponing  complicated  details  and 
beginning  with  the  most  simple  elementary  rules. 
Example, 112 

Further  progress  then  becomes  easy, 114 


PART    IV. 

LATTER-DAY    IMPROVEMENTS. 

Chapter  VII. 

Modern  Signalling.    The  Germ. 

Although  the  Philosophical  Game  may  be  considered 
generally  as  the  most  perfect  Structural  form  of 
Whist,  the  principle  of  Evolution  has  still  been  at 
work  on  the  minor  details 117 

And  the  changes  consequent  thereon  have  attracted 

much  attention,  particularly  in  America,     .     .     .117 

They  have  had  reference  chiefly  to  the  further  im- 
provement of  the  Communications  between  the 
Partners, 118 

And  although  they  have  only  lately  assumed  great 
prominence,  the  Germ  of  them  has  existed  for 
many  years, 118 

During  the  Evolution  of  the  Philosophical  Game,  there 
was  introduced  a  contrivance  called  the  "  Signal 
for  Trumps," ng 

Description  of  it  by  Clay,  and  history  of  its  introduc- 


tion, 


119 


Its  mention  by  Cselebs, 120 

Its  original  name  of  the  "  Blue  Peter,"  alluding  to  its 
new  character  as  a  54'-;/^:/, i2] 


XX  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

It  gave  rise  to  some  objections  and  to  much  discus- 
sion. But  it  has  now  been  almost  universally  ac- 
cepted and  has  become  an  integral  part  of  the 
English  Modern  Game, 122 

But  as  bearing  on  the  Evolution  of  Whist  it  is 
desirable  to  examine  its  theoretical  nature  more 
closely, 123 

Explanations  by  Clay  and  "  Cavendish," 124 

It  is  made  clear  by  them  that  the  signal  consists  in  a 
novel  and  conventional  extension  of  an  old  and 
natural  mode  of  play  to  new  circumstances,     .     .126 

And  this  small  element  of  novelty  has  served  as  a 
ger?n,  from  the  development  of  which  the  latter- 
day  stage  of  progress  has  largely  sprung,    .     .     .127 

The  Signal  for  Trumps  is  perfectly  fair,  involving  only 
a  slight  extension  of  the  ethical  conditions,  which 
is  universally  agreed  to 128 

And,  although  some  players  in  an  early  period  thought 
it  a  disadvantage,  it  has  many  features  which  ap- 
pear advantageous  in  the  large  extension  of  the 
game  now  prevailing, 129 

Chapter  VIII. 
Developments. 

The  first  important  modern  "  Whist  Development " 
was  the  "  Penultimate  "  lead  from  a  suit  of  five 
cards, 132 

History  of  its  introduction, 132 

Its  origin  in  the  protective  play  of  intermediate  se- 
quences ;  and  its  extension  to  five  cards  gen- 
erally  132 

This  was  followed  by  a  proposal  from  General  Dray- 
son  to  lead  the  antepenult imatc  from  six  cards,  .  133 


CONTENTS  XXI 

PAGE 

The  next  step  in  the  progress  came  from  America,     .  133 
Previous  spread  of  Whist  in  the  United  States,  .     .     .134 
Mr.   Nicholas   Browse  Trist   of  New   Orleans.     His 
communications  to  the  Field  and  with  "  Caven- 
dish "  on  Whist  matters,  135 

His  proposal  to  number  the  card  led  from  the  top  of 
the  hand,  instead  of  from  the  bottom  ;  so  leading 
the  ''fourth  best  "  in  all  cases  where  a  small  card 

is  required, 135 

The  real  import  of  this  apparently  only  nominal  change,  1 36 
This  lead  given  the  name  of  the  "  American  Lead,"  .  137 
Further  developments  suggested  by  Mr.  Trist,  .  .  .137 
By  taking  advantage  of  possible  variations  in  the  lead 

of  "  indifferent  cards," 137 

Such  variations  were  already  in  use  for  trick-making 
purposes  in  certain  cases,  and  it  was  proposed  to 
extend  the  plan  to  other  cases  for  the  purpose  of 

giving  information, 138 

Reasonings  in  this  sense — Consultations  with  "  Caven- 
dish," and  final  establishment  of  the  complete  sys- 
tem of  "  American  Leads," 138 

Publication  of  Cavendish's  work  on  "  Whist  Develop- 
ments,"        139 

The  three  maxims  of  American  Leads, 140 

Further  developments  by  the  same  author,  .  .  .  .140 
T\iQ.  Echo  of  the  Trump  Call ;  and  the  5/^(5-<?r//^,  .  .141 
Arrangements  for  "  unblocking,"  to  allow  of  the  free 

"  bringing  in  "  of  a  long  suit, 141 

Revisions  and  alterations  of  the  old  formulas  for  lead- 
ing high  cards,  for  the  purpose  of  communicating 
information.  Suits  headed  by  honours  in  se- 
quence, etc.,  etc 143 

Consequent  large  increase  of  the  conventional  rules 

for  leads, 143 


XXll  CONTENTS 


PAGE 


General  aspects  of  Cavendish's  work  on  these  develop- 
ments,     144 

His   views   in   regard   to   the    "  Conversation  of  the 

Game," 145 

Influence  of  these  developments  on  the  general  de- 
tails of  Whist  play, 148 

The  results  arrived  at  are  not  yet  final,  for  the  pro- 
gress of  Evolution  is  still  going  on, 149 

Chapter  IX. 

Whist  in  America. 

The  improvements  referred  to  in  this  stage  of  Evolu- 
tion have  been  received  with  remarkable  earnest- 
ness and  enthusiasm  in  the  United  States  of 
America,  where  indeed  they  have  modelled  the 
standard  form  of  game,  .........150 

Whist  Customs,  Scoring,  etc. 

Forms  of  scoring  differ  from  those  in  England,  .  .151 
Honours  are  not  usually  counted  at  all  ;    the  score  is 

made  by  tricks  only, 153 

Practice  in  social  Clubs,  single  games  of  5  points,  .  .153 
Practice  in  Whist  Clubs,  games  of  7  points.    Straight 

Whist, 154 

In  the  Whist  Club  it  is  not  usual  to  play  for  money 

stakes,  the  play  being  for  the  love  of  the  game 

alone, 154 

Di (plica  te  Wh  ist. 

This  is  the  most  usual  form  of  game  in  Whist  matches, 

trials  of  skill,  etc., 155 

It  is  a  revival,  with  extensions  and  improvements,  of  a 
plan  originated  by  the  Little  Whist   School,  in 


CONTENTS  XXlll 

PAGE 

which  the  comparative  skill  of  the  players  may  be 
tested,   by    systematic   duplication   of   the   play, 

with  reversals  of  the  hands, 155 

Description  of  the  various  modifications  of  the  system,  157 
Opinion  of  "  Cavendish"  on  the  American  forms  of 

play, 160 

The  American  Whist  League. 

Proposal  for  a  Whist  Tournament  in  1890,  which  led 

to  the  formation  of  the  body  having  this  name,    .  161 

Constitution  and  duties  of  the  League, 161 

Establishment  of  a  revised  Code  of  Laws,     .     .     .     .162 

Annual  Congresses, 163 

Arrangements  for  Whist  Matches  and  Tournaments. 

The  "  Hamilton  Whist  Trophy," 165 

Professional  Teaching  of  Whist. 

Revival  of  this,  which  had  been  neglected  since  the 
days  of  Hoyle, 166 

The  principal  teachers  are  ladies  :  Miss  Kate  Wheel- 

ock,  Mrs.  Jenks,  and  many  others, 167 

Good  lady  Whist-players  abound  in  the  United  States, 

and  hold  their  place  in  the  public  matches,      .     .167 

Ainerica7i  Whist  Literature, 

Establishment  of  a  monthly  journal  called  "  Whist," 
as  the  official  organ  of  the  Whist  League,  and  as 
a  periodical  exclusively  devoted  to  the  interests  of 

the  Game, 168 

Its  success,  usefulness,  and  popularity, 169 

Publication  of  works  on  Whist,  chiefly  devoted  to  the 
explanation  of  the  latest  improvements  in  the 
game, 169 


XXIV  CONTENTS 


PAGE 


Foster's  "  Whist  Manual  "  and  "  Self-playing  Cards  ;  " 

"  Duplicate  Whist  and  Whist  Strategy,"    .     .     .    169 
Fisher  Ames,  "  Practical  Guide  to  Whist,"  ....    169 

C.  E.  Coffin,  "  The  Gist  of  Whist," 170 

C.  D.  P.  Hamilton,  "  Modern  Scientific  Whist,"  a  very 
elaborate  work,  profusely  illustrated  with  dia- 
grams, etc.     Extracts  therefrom 172 

Popularity  of  Whist  in  America. 

Evidences  of  this  are  abundant,  showing  not  only  the 
w^ide  extent  of  Whist  play,  but  the  earnestness 
and  enthusiasm  manifested  about  it,  and  the  gen- 
eral prevalence  of  high  skill  in  the  players, .     .     .171 

Difficulties  and  Disputes. 

But   the   American  experience  with    the  Latter-Day 

Whist  has  not  been  altogether  smooth,  .     .     .     .175 

Difficulties  and  disputes  have  arisen  as  to  the  extended 
use  of  signals  of  an  arbitrary  character  between 
the  partners, 176 

There  has  been  a  tendency  to  increase  the  number 
of  such  signals,  with  less  consideration  and 
caution  than  have  been  bestowed  on  them  by  the 
accepted  authorities, 176 

And,  what  is  more  serious,  a  right  has  been  asserted, 
in  contriving  new  signals,  to  keep  them  secret  be- 
tween the  partners,  and  concealed  from  the  table 
generally, 177 

This  subject  was  brought  before  the  public  in  a  letter 
to  the  "  Whist"  Journal  in  July,  1891,  and  gave 
rise  to  long  discussions  therein,  which  extended 
to  May,  1894,  and  in  which  many  eminent  Whist 
authorities  and  Whist  players  both  in  America 
and  in  England  joined, 177 


CONTENTS  XXV 

PAGE 

Extracts  from  this  correspondence,  showing  the  nat- 
ure of  the  most  important  opinions  brought  for- 
ward,       1 80 

Remarks  on  the  dispute  and  on  the  question  gener- 
ally,     184 

The  ethical  view  of  the  proposals  made, 185 

The  probable  effect  they  would  have  on  the  game,     .    192 
Doubts  as  to  the  advisability  of  an  indefinite  and  in- 
discriminate multiplication  of  arbitrary  signals,    .    193 
Discrimination  between  the  different  kinds  of  signals 

used, 193 


SUMMARY    AND   CONCLUSION. 

Restatement  of  the  general  views  as  to  the  Evolution 
of  Whist,  and  as  to  the  nature  of  its  different 
stages, 199 

Permanence  of  the  different  kinds  of  game,  ....  200 

The  Primitive  Ga/iie — Reasons  why   it  will  always 

find  votaries  and  players, 200 

But  it  is  not  to  be  recommended  for  earnest  study,     .  201 

The  Hoyle  G^zwe'— Reasons  which  make  this  form  of 
game  acceptable  to  many  able  players,  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  other  forms, 201 

But  as  this  game  is  really  embodied  in  the  following 
stage,  which  is  so  much  more  teachable,  it  ought 
not  to  be  chosen  for  the  commencement  of  Whist 
study, 203 

The  Philosophical  Game, — This  is  the  form  of  game 
to  which  the  attention  of  students  should  be 
most  prominently  directed, 204 

Study  of  principles  first,  and  then  of  published  ex- 
amples, introductory  to  your  own  practice,  which 
will  enable  you  in  time  to  pass  for  a  j'^ //;/«' player,  205 


XXVI  CONTENTS 


PAGE 


Beyond  this  will  come  the  exercise  of  your  own  per- 
sonal skill  and  mental  powers,  manifested  in 
observation,  inference,  memory,  promptness  of 
action,  soundness  in  judgment,  and  possibly 
brilliancy  of  invention,  by  which  you  may  become 
2ijine  player, 206 

Errors  are  unavoidable  ;    classification  and  judgment 

of  them, 210 

When  high  skill  cannot  be  commanded,  a  good  know- 
ledge of  systematic  principles  may  always  be 
attained,  and  will  always  be  useful 211 

The  Latter-Day  Iviprovements — Although  this  latest 
and  most  elaborate  phase  of  Whist  Evolution  has 
been  taken  up  so  enthusiastically  in  America,  it 
has  not  yet  become  fully  popular  in  England,      .212 

But  there  is  abundant  evidence  that  its  development 
has  been  watched  with  much  interest  and  with 
some  favour,  many  of  its  earlier  elements  having 
passed  into  common  use, 213 

Speculative  reasons   for  the  hesitation  ;  the  national 

conservative  feeling, 213 

The  difficulty  of  acquirement  of  the  elaborate  new 

rules, 214 

The  way  in  which  the  increased  preponderance  of  skill 

may  affect  the  present  system  of  money  stakes,  .   214 

The  deterrent  effect  of  the  difficulties  that  have  lately 

arisen  in  America  ;  and  so  on, 215 

Suggestions  for  the  more  general  cultivation  of  the 

new  introductions, 215 


CONTENTS  XXVll 

APENDICES. 
A. 

Some  Model  Whist  Hands  of  Early  Date. 

PAGE 

1743.     From  the  "  Humours   of  Whist,"  containing 

a  r^/^/,  by  Hoyle, 219 

1755.     From  "  The  Connoisseur," 224 

1 791.    From  "Whist,"  an  Epic  Poem  in  twelve  Cantos,  229 

B. 

Constitution  of  the  American  Whist  League,  .     .     .  226 

C. 

The  American  Laws  of  Whist, 246 

D. 

1.  Description  of  the  Match  for  the  Hamilton  Whist 

Trophy;  by  Duplicate  Whist, 257 

2.  Personal  Match,  by  Duplicate  Whist,  between  nine 

ladies  and  nine  gentlemen, 263 


THE  EVOLUTION   OF  WHIST 


INTRODUCTION 

''  It  has  been  found  hard,"  said  Dr.  John- 
son, ''  to  describe  man  by  an  adequate  defini-. 
tion."  The  term  "  reasoning  animal,"  is  ob- 
jected to  because  so  many  of  his  race  do  not 
reason,  while  so  many  of  his  *'  poor  earth- 
born  companions "  do.  In  default  of  more 
refined  psychological  distinctions,  reference 
has  been  made  to  certain  habits  which  ap- 
pear to  have  spontaneously  developed  them- 
selves in  his  nature.  Thus  he  has  been  called 
a  cooking  animal ;  a  laughing  animal ;  a 
clothes-wearing  animal ;  a  tool-making  ani- 
mal ;  and,  more  recently,  a  gambling  animal. 

There  is  nothing  very  striking  in  these  defi- 
nitions, and  many  more  might  be  discovered 
with  a  little  ingenuity  ;  but  it  is  remarkable 
how  man  has  contrived  to  impress  upon  all 
such  innate  habits  the  stamp  of  his  high  in- 
tellectual powers.  Cooking,  for  example, 
has  been  exalted  by  the  "  Physiologic  du 
Gout  "  and  *'  The  Original  "  into  an  aesthetic 


2  THE   EVOLUTION    OF   WHIST 

study ;  merriment  and  wisdom  are  prover- 
bially connected  ;  the  "  Sartor  Resartus  "  will 
illustrate  the  philosophy  of  clothes;  the  pow- 
ers of  intellect  devoted  to  tools  during  the 
last  century  have  revolutionized  the  w^orld  ; 
and  in  regard  to  the  last  and  least  promising 
of  our  list,  even  the  gambling  propensity  has 
been  elevated  by  the  invention  and  general 
adoption  of  games  combining  chance  and 
skill,  in  which  the  excitement  of  hazard  is 
tempered  by  the  more  wholesome  interest  of 
the  intellectual  exercise.  Such  games  have 
varied  much  from  time  to  time,  and,  as  civil- 
ization has  advanced,  have  gradually  im- 
proved in  character  and  attractiveness,  till 
they  have  culminated  in  the  noble  game  of 
'Whist,  which,  as  now  practised,  after  nearly 
three  centuries  of  elaboration,  stands  unri- 
valled at  the  head  of  all  in-door  recreations. 

It  has  now  become  a  favourite  amusement 
in  all  ranks  of  society,  and  especially  with 
persons  of  great  intelligence  and  ability.  It 
is  differentiated  from  all  other  card  games 
by  the  demands  it  makes  on  the  intel- 
lectual powers,  and  the  opportunity  it  gives 
for  high  mental  skill  ;  indeed  a  great  man 
once  said  that  in  choosing  a  Prime  Min- 
ister, his  Whist  playing  would  offer  a  suffi- 
cient test  of  his  competency.  But  Whist 
is  not  exclusively  a  stud}-   for  great  minds  ; 


INTRODUCTION  3 

it  is  so  catholic  in  its  nature  that  ordi- 
nary intellects  can  find  pleasure  in  its  prac- 
tice. In  social  circles  it  is  becoming  con- 
stantly better  known,  and  its  value  better 
appreciated,  although  the  general  style  of 
play  is  not  always  so  intellectual  as  it  might 
be. 

Whist  is  both  a  Science  and  an  Art.  It  is  a 
Science,  because  its  foundations  are  laid  on 
truly  scientific  principles  ;  on  the  mathemati- 
cal laws  of  probabilities,  and  on  strictly 
scientific  reasoning  directing  their  applica- 
tion. It  is  an  Art,  because  it  requires  educa- 
tion, practice,  judgment,  and  skill,  in  the 
actual  conduct  of  the  play.  In  this,  as  in 
many  other  intellectual  pursuits,  it  is  only  by 
a  combination  of  the  two  that  eminence  can 
be  obtained.  Hence,  both  must  be  learned  : 
the  science,  to  enable  the  student  to  under- 
stand the  principles  on  which  he  has  to  pro- 
ceed ;  and  the  art,  to  direct  him  how  to  carry 
these  principles  into  effect  to  the  best  advan- 
tage. 

The  most  astonishing  feature  of  Whist  is 
the  immense  variety  that  may  arise  out  of 
a  very  simple  elementary  structure.  It  is 
really  one  of  the  simplest  card  games  known, 
consisting  merely  in  '^  making  tricks "  ac- 
cording to  certain  conditions  which  a  child 


4  THE   EVOLUTION   OF   WHIST 

may  learn  in  a  few  minutes.  And  yet  how 
to  do  this  in  the  most  advantageous  way  is  a 
problem  that  has  occupied  the  most  powerful 
minds  for  centuries.  And  it  is  not  only  that 
the  mode  of  procedure  is  subject  to  almost 
infinite  variations  of  individual  volition,  but 
there  have  been,  from  time  to  time,  while 
still  adhering  to  the  same  elementary  skeleton 
of  game,  remarkable  varieties,  not  onl}^  in  the 
details  but  in  the  general  forms.  Different 
modes  of  procedure  have  been  laid  down, 
and  different  sets  of  rules  have  been  recom- 
mended for  the  guidance  of  players,  all  var}'- 
ing  so  much  as  to  constitute  what  may  be 
described  as  different  phases  of  the  game, 
each  having  peculiarities  of  its  own,  worthy 
of  attention  and  stud3^ 

This  great  variety  of  complex  structures, 
built  on  one  underlying  skeleton,  cannot  fail 
to  remind  us  of  similar  productions  in  the 
world  of  nature,  where  we  may  often  find 
some  great  general  fundamental  feature, 
such,  for  example,  as  the  vertebrate  prin- 
ciple, extending  through  a  multitude  of  ani- 
mate forms  all  largely  differing  from  each 
other.  And  when  this  idea  is  once  enter- 
tained it  suggests  further  analogies.  Cannot 
we  also  see,  in  the  history  of  Whist,  traces  of 
that  wonderful  element.  Evolution,  which 
modern  discoverers  have  proved  to  be  the 


INTRODUCTION  5 

great   source   of   progressive   change   in  all 
organic  nature? 

We  certainly  can,  for  it  is  impossible  to 
study  carefully  the  history  of  the  game  with- 
out perceiving  that  its  varieties  have,  for  the 
most  part,  not  been  arbitrary  changes.  They 
have  clearly,  in  conformity  with  this  univer- 
sal law,  resulted  from  a  gradual  progress,  or 
development,  in  the  intellectual  character  of 
the  game,  and  in  the  complexity  of  its  vary- 
ing forms.  In  the  earliest  stage  it  was  a  very 
simple  matter,  easily  understood  and  easily 
practised ;  then,  as  its  capabilities  began  to 
be  discovered,  more  advanced  varieties  came 
in,  and  these  became  more  and  more  com- 
plex, adapted  to  more  and  more  intellectual 
skill,  until  at  last  they  have  culminated  in  the 
present  elaborate  development,  which  is  one 
of  the  most  striking  features  of  the  time,  if 
only  on  account  of  the  enthusiasm  with  which 
it  is  cultivated  by  the  highest  class  of  players. 

Now  this  view  of  the  gradual  development 
of  Whist,  from  its  earliest  inception  to  its 
present  elaborate  form,  deserves  more  care- 
ful attention  than  it  has  yet  received.  Its 
true  interest  consists,  not  merely  in  lists  of 
dry  facts  and  dates,  but  rather  in  the  con- 
sideration of  the  nature  and  import  of  the 
changes  that  have  taken  place  ;  and  this  point 


6  THE   EVOLUTION    OF   WHIST 

bas  received  but  little  study  or  description. 
The  reason  for  this  neglect  is  the  general  as- 
sumption that  any  advance  or  improvement 
justifies  the  oblivion  of  what  has  gone  be- 
fore. Any  proficient  who  has  made  himself 
master  of  an  improved  style  of  game  is  ac- 
customed to  despise  as  useless  and  uninter- 
esting the  earlier  forms.  Charles  Lamb,  for 
example,  pla3'ing  the  Hoyle  game  of  Mrs. 
Battle,  characterized  the  more  primitive 
practice  as  "  sick  Whist,"  and  a  little  later  we 
find  the  "  modern  scientific  "  experts  despis- 
ing the  antiquated  game  of  Charles  Lamb. 
And  such  has  been  the  progress  of  AVhist 
Evolution  in  the  last  two  decades  that  a  mem- 
ber of  the  present  American  League  would 
look  down  even  on  the  fine  playing  of  Des- 
chapelles  or  Clay. 

We  are  arriving,  now,  at  a  degree  of  elabo- 
ration which  gives  us  pause.  The  improved 
game  has  been  taken  up,  as  we  shall  see 
hereafter,  earnestly  and  enthusiastically  by 
numbers  of  connoiseurs,  of  high  intellectual 
ability,  Avho  have  devoted  themselves  to  its 
cultivation ;  but  whatever  its  merits  may  be, 
it  would  be  too  much  to  assume  that  it  forms 
the  only  kind  of  game  which  will  be  or  ought 
to  be  played.  Clay  has  remarked  very  per- 
tinently, that  an  increased  call  upon  the  skill 
required  limits  considerably  the  number  of 


INTRODUCTION  7 

players,  and  it  would  be  a  reproach  on  the 
merits  of  Whist,  and  on  the  universality  of 
its  pleasure-giving  power,  if  its  practice  were 
confined  to  the  comparatively  small  public 
who  could  master  its  more  modern  intricacies 
and  complications.  It  is  desirable,  therefore, 
to  consider  our  position  ;  and  we  believe  our 
policy  should  lie,  not  (as  some  would  have  it) 
in  discouraging  the  march  of  Evolution,  or  in 
depreciating  the  value  of  its  results ;  but  in 
contesting  the  exclusiveness  with  which  the 
idea  of  it  is  associated. 

In  the  great  evolutionary  systems  of  nat- 
ure the  production  of  higher  forms  does  not 
necessitate  the  extinction  of  the  antecedent 
ones.  Many  still  live  and  flourish  contem- 
poraneously with  their  advanced  progeny. 
Although  man  may  have  been  evolved  from 
some  Simian  ancestor^  and  may  be  vastly  su- 
perior to  him,  yet  they  may  both  exist  to- 
gether, and  each  will  find  for  himself  a  suitable 
place  in  the  w^orld.  And  so  with  Whist,  with- 
out doubting  the  reality  of  the  advance,  or  the 
intellectual  superiority  of  the  higher  inven- 
tions, it  does  not  follow  that  they  need  abol- 
ish the  preceding  lower  ones,  or  that  they 
ought  to  do  so. 

Indeed,  the  question  has  settled  itself.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  in  the  present  day  an  enor- 
mous number  of  persons,  who  take  pleasure  in 


8  THE   EVOLUTION    OF    WHIST 

pla3'ing  Whist,  still  adopt  actually  its  most 
primitive  forms.  And  why  should  they  not, 
if  they  find  such  forms  the  most  suitable  for 
them  ?  The  amiable  lady  who  begins  by 
playing  out  her  aces,  or  the  pleasant  club 
member  who  leads  his  lowest  card  from  five, 
ought  not  to  be  upbraided  for  bad  play.  All 
that  should  be  said  is  that  they  play  varieties 
of  the  game  differing  from  that  recommended 
in  "Cavendish's"  latest  editions.  We  may 
take  it  for  granted  that,  whatever  may  be  the 
exclusive  notions  of  the  select  Whist  aristoc- 
racy, there  will  always  be  a  large  democratic 
body  who  will  please  themselves  as  to  what 
sort  of  game  they  play.  And  we  may,  there- 
fore, as  well  meet  this  inevitable  fact  boldly. 

These  considerations  suggest  a  new  object 
for  an  Essay  upon  Whist.  The  usual  aim  of 
a  Whist  book  is  to  describe  a  particular  kind 
of  game,  which  its  author  believes  is  the  only 
true  one  ;  to  lay  down  its  principles,  and  to 
give  the  reader  practical  directions  how  to 
carry  them  out  in  his  play.  This  is  not  the 
object  aimed  at  here.  We  propose  to  take 
a  broader  survey  of  Whist  in  general,  to  in- 
vestigate its  history,  and  to  trace  its  grad- 
ual development,  showing  the  different  as- 
pects it  has  presented,  and  the  different 
ways  it  has  been  treated  from  time  to  time. 


INTRODUCTION  9 

In  this  way,  while  observing  the  process  of 
Evolution,  by  which,  under  the  constant  effort 
of  powerful  minds  it  has  reached  its  present 
advanced  stage,  we  shall  not  lose  sight  of  the 
nature  of  its  intermediate  forms. 

The  steps  or  phases  of  progress  in  Whist 
structure  will  of  course  be  most  naturally  in- 
dicated by  the  varieties  of  game  prevalent  at 
different  times.  The  definitions  of  these,  and 
the  determination  of  their  history  and  com- 
parative age,  are  not  always  easy  ;  for,  as  in 
all  cases  of  evolutionary  development,  we 
find  the  various  stages  run  into  one  another. 
Looking,  however,  broadly  at  the  facts  of  his- 
tory we  may  clearly  identify  four  great  va- 
rieties, prevailing  at  moderately  well-defined 
times,  and  it  is  proposed  to  treat  of  these  in 
four  divisions  of  the  present  work. 

We  may  first  notice  the  primitive  stage  of 
Whist,  occupying  a  long  era  from  the  origin 
of  the  game  to  the  date  immediately  preced- 
ing Hoyle ;  and  we  may  characterize  the 
simple  structure  that  prevailed  during  this 
era  as  The  Primitive  Game. 

The  next  stage  begins  at  the  date  when 
Whist  was  raised  into  a  really  intellectual 
pastime  under  the  master  mind  of  Hoyle, 
who  was  well  followed  in  the  same  path  by 
Payne  and  Matthews.  We  have,  therefore, 
the  opportunity  of  showing  how  The  Game 


lO  THE   EVOLUTION    OF   WHIST 

OF  HOYLE  differed  from  its  antecedent  form. 
The  era  of  this  game,  unchanged,  lasted  for 
more  than  a  century. 

In  process  of  time,  however,  the  game  of 
Hoyle  was,  by  the  further  study  of  many 
clever  experts,  represented  chiefly  by  "  Cav- 
endish "  and  James  Clay,  consolidated  into  a 
more  settled  and  definite  system,  on  a  strict- 
ly logical  and  philosophical  basis,  forming 
what  is  termed  The  Philosophical  Game. 

The  era  of  this  last-named  form  extends  to 
the  present  time,  for  the  game  remains,  essen- 
tially, in  its  leading  principles  the  same. 
But  it  has  been  subject  in  recent  years  to 
development  in  its  details,  so  remarkable  as 
to  have  attracted  largely  the  attention  of 
high-class  Whist  players,  particularly  in  the 
United  States  of  America.  This  develop- 
ment must  therefore  be  considered  as  an  im- 
portant step  in  the  Evolution  of  Whist,  and 
will  be  treated  of  in  our  Part  IV. 


PART   I 
THE   PRIMITIVE   ERA 

A.D.    1500  TO    1730 


CHAPTER   I 

EARLY    HISTORY 

In  this  chapter  it  is  proposed  to  give  a 
brief  notice  of  the  chief  facts  known  as  to 
the  origin  and  early  history  of  Whist,  lead- 
ing to  what  we  have  designated  as  the  Prim- 
itive Game.  ' 

Whist  is  of  English  origin,  but  its  early  his- 
tory is  involved  in  some  obscurity.  It  is  not 
to  be  supposed  that  a  game  of  this  high  char- 
acter should  have  sprung  at  once  perfect  into 
being  ;  it  has  been  formed  by  gradual  devel- 
opment from  elements  previously  existing. 
When  these  began  to  assume  shapes  akin  to 
what  we  know  now,  the  ^'  fittest "  of  them 
"survived  "  and  became,  in  process  of  time, 
moulded  into  the  present  forms. 

As  early  as  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth 

1  The  information  we  possess  as  to  the  early  history  of  Whist  is 
chiefly  due  to  the  investigations  of  "  Cavendish."  The  historical 
notices  contained  in  this  and  some  following  chapters  are  taken 
largely  (with  some  later  corrections)  from  an  article,  by  the  author 
of  the  present  work,  in  the  Quarterly  Review  of  January,  1871,  the 
use  of  which  has  been  kindly  sanctioned  by  the  publishers  of  that 
periodical. 


14  THE    PRIMITIVE    ERA 

century  a  card  game  was  in  common  use  in 
England,  of  which  both  the  name  and  the 
chief  feature  enter  prominently  into  the 
structure  of  Whist.  This  was  called  t7'iumpJi 
— corrupted  into  triunp — and  the  essence  of 
it  was  the  predominance  of  one  particular 
suit,  called  the  triumph,  or  trump-suit,  over 
all  the  others.  A  work  published  in  Italy  in 
1526  speaks  of  a  game  called  Trionfi,  which 
is  also  mentioned  by  Rabelais  as  La  Tri- 
omphe,  among  the  games  played  by  Gargan- 
tua  ;  but  this,  which  resembled  Ecarte,  must 
not  be  confounded  with  the  English  game. 
The  latter  was,  in  all  probability,  distinctly 
of  English  origin,  and  was  popular  in  good 
society,  as  we  find  a  reference  to  it  in  a  quar- 
ter where  it  would  hardly  be  looked  for ; 
namely,  in  a  sermon  preached  by  Latimer 
at  Cambridge,  the  Sunday  before  Christmas, 
1529.  He  mentions  the  game  under  its  cor- 
rupted as  well  as  its  original  appellation,  and 
clearly  alludes  to  its  characteristic  feature, 
as  the  following  extracts  will  show  : 

"  And  where  you  are  wont  to  celebrate  Christmas  in 
playing  at  cards,  I  intend,  by  God  s  grace,  to  deal  unto 
you  Christ's  Cards,  wherein  you  shall  perceive  Christ's 
Rule.  The  game  that  we  play  at  shall  be  called  the 
Triumph,  which,  if  it  be  well  played  at,  he  that  dealeth 
shall  win  ;  the  Players  shall  likewise  win  ;  and  the  standers 
and  lookers  upon  shall  do  the  same. 


EARLY    HISTORY  I  5 

'*  You  must  mark  also  that  the  Triumph  must  apply  to 
fetch  home  unto  him  all  the  other  cards,  whatever  suit  they 
be  of. 

"  Then  further,  we  must  say  to  ourselves,  What  re- 
quireth  Christ  of  a  Christian  man  ?  Now  turn  up  your 
Trump,  your  Heart  (Hearts  is  Trump,  as  I  said  before), 
and  cast  your  Trump,  your  Heart,  on  this  card." 

Other  references  to  this  game  are  found  at 
a  later  period  ;  we  need  only  mention  two. 
In  "  Gammer  Gurton's  Needle,"  one  of  the 
earliest  pieces  performed  in  England  under 
the  name  of  a  comedy,  and  written  by  Bishop 
Still,  soon  after  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  occurs  this  passage : 

''Chat. — What,  Diccon?  come  nere,  ye  be  no  stranger  ; 
We  be  set  fast  at  trump,  man,  hard  by  the  fyre. 
Thou  shalt  set  on  the  King,  if  thou  come  a  little 
nyer. 

Come  hither,  Dol ;  Dol,  sit  downe  and  play  this 
game. 

And  as  thou  sawest  me  do,  see  thou  do  even  the 
same ; 

There  is  five  trumps  besides  the  queene,  the  hind- 
most thou  shalt  find  her  ; 

Take  hede  of  Sim  Glover's  wife,  she  hath  an  eie 
behind  her." 

Another  reference  is  by  Shakespeare.  In 
''Antony  and  Cleopatra,"  Act  IV.,  Scene  12, 

Antony  says  (folio,  1623) : 


l6  THE   PRIMITIVE   ERA 

"  My  good  Knaue  Eros,  now  thy  captaine  is 
Euen  such  a  body ;  Heere  I  am  Anthony, 
Yet  cannot  hold  this  visible  shape  (my  Knaue) 
I  made  those  warres  for  Egypt,  and  the  Oueene, 
Whose  heart  I  thought  I  had,  for  she  had  mine, 
Which  whil'st  it  was  mine,  had  annext  untoo't 
A  Million  moe,  (now  lost,)  shee  Eros  has 
Packt  Cards  with  Caesar,  and  false  plaid  my  Glory 
Vnto  an  Enemies  triumph." 

This  passage  has  been  the  subject  of  several 
comments ;  but  the  repeated  allusions  to  card- 
playing  leave  no  doubt  as  to  the  reference  in 
the  last  word. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth 
century  the  game  of  Trump  had  acquired  in 
England  another  name,  which  is  also  pre- 
served in  Whist ;  i.e.,  Ruff.  There  is  no  in- 
formation how  this  word  came  to  be  used  ; 
we  only,  know  that  the  two  terms  were  sy- 
nonymous, as  Cotgrave,  in  his  French  and 
English  Dictionary,  i6i  i,  explains  the  French 
word  triompJic  to  mean  "the  card  game  called 
ruffe,  or  trump;"  and  Nares,  in  his  Glossary, 
says  ruff  meant  a  trump  card,  cJiarta  doniin- 
atrix. 

But  contemporaneously  with  this  the  game 
itself  had  also  unders^one,  in  Eno^land,  some 
modifications  which  caused  it  to  differ  ma- 
terially from  the  original  type,  and  among 
them  was  the  attachment  of  certain  advan- 


EARLY  HISTORY  1/ 

tages,  or  "  honours,"  to  the  four  highest  cards 
of  the  trump  suit.  This  was  probably  of 
itself  an  ancient  invention,  for  we  find  a 
game  called  '' Les  Honeurs "  in  Rabelais's 
list ;  but  whether  the  honours  were  imported 
into  Trump  or  Ruff,  and  so  gave  the  game  a 
new  character,  or  whether  they  Avere  an 
original  part  of  the  game,  we  have  not  evi- 
dence enough  to  decide.  At  any  rate,  the 
game  was  called  ''  Ruff  and  Honours." 

It  was  played  with  a  pack  of  fifty-two 
cards,  the  ace  ranking  the  highest.  There 
were  four  players,  two  being  partners 
against  the  other  two,  and  each  received 
twelve  cards ;  the  remaining  four  were  left 
as  a  "  stock  "  on  the  table,  and  the  top  one 
was  turned  up  to  determine  the  trump  suit. 
The  player  who  happened  to  hold  the  ace 
of  trumps  had  the  privilege  of  taking  the 
''  stock,"  in  exchange  for  four  cards  of  his 
own,  an  operation  called  ritffing.  The  score 
was  nine,  and  the  party  that  won  most  tricks 
were  "  most  forward  to  win  the  set."  Three 
honours  in  the  joint  hands  were  reckoned 
equivalent  to  two  tricks,  and  four  honours  to 
four.  This  came  very  near  Whist,  and  was, 
in  fact,  Whist  in  an  imperfect  form. 

The  further  changes  in  the  constitution  of 
the  game,  and  the  radical    alteration  of  the 

2 


l8  THE    PRIMITIVE    ERA 

name,  appear  to  have  taken  place  early  in 
the  seventeenth  centur}-.  The  first  form  of 
the  new  designation  was  Whisk,  a  word  which 
occurs  in  "  Taylor's  Motto,"  by  Taylor,  the 
water  poet,  published  in  1621.  Speaking  of 
the  prodigal,  he  says : 

"  He  flings  his  money  free  with  carelessnesse, 
At  novum,  mumchance,  mischance  (chuse  ye  which) 
At  one-and-thirty,  or  at  poore-and-rich, 
Ruffe,  slam,  trump,  nody,  whisk,  hole,  sant,  new  cut." 

The  origin  of  the  word  is  obscure ;  but  it 
has  been  suggested  that  it  was  used  as  a 
synonym  for  ruff,  in  ridicule  of  the  affecta- 
tions of  the  gallants  who  played  at  the  game. 
The  article  of  dress  in  fashion  under  the  lat- 
ter name  at  the  time  is  descrbed  as — 


"  Great  and  monsterous,  made  either  of  cambric,  holland, 
lawne,  or  els  of  some  other  the  finest  cloth  that  can  be  got 
for  money,  whereof  some  is  a  quarter  of  a  yard  deepe,  yea, 
some  more,  hanging  over  their  shoulder  points,  instead  of 
a  vaile.  But  if  yEolus  with  his  blasts,  or  Neptune  with 
his  storms,  chaunce  to  hit  upon  the  crazie  barke  of  their 
bruised  ruffles,  then  they  goeth  flip-flap  in  the  winde,  like 
ragges  that  flew  abroad,  lying  on  their  shoulders  like  the 
disheclout  of  a  slut." 

This  sort  of  thing  might  well  be  ridiculed 
as  a   Whisk,  which  not  onlv  meant  "  a  small 


EARLY    HISTORY  IQ 

besom  or  brush,"  but  also  referred  to  an  ar- 
ticle of  dress : 

"  Their  wrinkled  necks  were  covered  o'er 
With  whisks  of  lawn,  by  granniims  wore 
In  base  contempt  of  bishops'  sleeves." 

Thirty  or  forty  years  after  Taylor's  men- 
tion of  the  word  as  applied  to  the  game,  it 
had  become  changed  to  the  present  form,  the 
earliest  known  use  of  which  is  quoted  by 
Johnson  from  the  second  part  of  "  Hudibras  " 
(spurious),  published  in  1663  : 

"  But  what  was  this  ?     A  game  of  Whist 
Unto  our  Plowden-Canonist." 

In  the  opinion  of  the  best  modern  etymol- 
ogists the  original  spelling  of  "  Whisk  "  or 
"  Whist "  is  of  no  consequence  as  regards 
the  derivation  of  the  word  ;  the  latest  view 
of  the  highest  authorities  is  that  it  is  of  imi- 
tative origin,  and  means  "  silence,"  a  view 
which  also  prevailed  in  earlier  times,  as  will 
be  seen  further  on. 

In  1674  we  find  a  published  description 
of  the  game  in  a  curious  book,  by  Charles 
Cotton,  the  poet,  entitled,  "  The  Compleat 
Gamester,  or  Instructions  how  to  play  at 
Billiards,  Trucks,  Bowls,  and  Chess,  to- 
gether with  all   manner  of  usual  and   most 


20  THE   PRIMITIVE    ERA 

gentle  Games,  either  on  Cards  or  Dice."  In 
this  book  a  chapter  is  devoted  to  "  English 
Ruff-and-Honours  and  Whist,"  and  it  con- 
tains the  following  passage : 

"  Ruff  and  honours  {alias  slamm)  and  Whist  are  games 
so  commonly  known  in  England,  in  all  parts  thereof,  that 
every  child  almost  of  eight  years  old  hath  a  competent 
knowledge  in  that  recreation." 

After  describing  ruff  and  honours,  the  au- 
thor says  :  ''  Whist  is  a  game  not  much  dif- 
fering from  this."  Each  player  still  had 
twelve  cards ;  but  instead  of  leaving  an  un- 
known stock  on  the  table,  the  four  deuces 
were  discarded  from  the  pack  before  deal- 
ing. The  abolition  of  the  unknown  "  stock  " 
was  a  great  step  in  advance,  as  it  enabled 
the  players  to  calculate  Avith  more  certainty 
the  contents  of  each  other's  hands.  The 
score  was  still  nine,  tricks  and  honours 
counting  as  before. 

Cotton  says  the  game  ''  is  called  Whist 
from  the  silence  that  is  to  be  observed  in  the 
play."  This  meaning  is  warranted  by  the 
custom  of  the  time.  The  word,  although 
treated  as  a  verb,  adjective,  or  participle,  by 
Shakespeare,  Milton,  Spenser,  and  others,  is 
defined  by  Skinner  (167 1),  one  of  the  best 
authorities,  as  interjectio  silentimn  imperans ; 
and  so   it  was   commonly  used.     In   an   old 


EARLY    HISTORY  21 

play,  written  by  Decker  in  1604,  we  find  the 
example : 

"  Whist !  Whist !  my  master  !  " 

Cotton's  derivation  of  the  present  name 
has  been  supported  by  Johnson  and  Nares, 
and  has  always  been  most  commonly  re- 
ceived ;  but  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the 
word  Whisk  continued  in  use,  along  with  the 
other  name,  for  a  century  after  Cotton  wrote. 
Pope,  in  his  epistle  to  Mrs.  Teresa  Blount, 
1715,  says: 

"  Some  squire  perhaps,  you  take  delight  to  rack, 
Whose  game  is  Whisk,  whose  treat  a  toast  in  sack." 

Dr.  Johnson  defines  Whist  as  "  A  game  at 
cards,  requiring  close  attention  and  silence  ; 
vulgarly  pronounced  Whisk.''  And  he  points 
out  the  many  ways  in  which  the  word  Whist 
is  used,  conveying  the  sense  above  given. 

The  Hon.  Daines  Harrington,  writing  as 
late  as  1786  on  games  at  cards,  uses  the  word 
Whisk  without  any  qualification. 

It  is  possible  that,  when  the  game  took  its 
complete  form,  the  more  intellectual  char- 
acter it  assumed  demanded  greater  care  and 
closer  attention  to  the  play ;  this  was  incom- 
patible with  noise  in  the  room,  or  with  con- 
versation  between  the  players ;  and  hence 
the  word  "  Whist !  "  may  have  been  used  in 


22  THE    PRIMITIVE    ERA 

its  interjectional  form  to  insist  on  the  neces- 
sary silence  ;  and  from  the  similarity  of  this 
to  the  term  already  in  use,  the  modification  in 
the  last  letter  may  have  taken  its  rise.  It  is 
worthy  of  remark  that  in  a  fashionable  book 
on  Ombre,  published  in  Berlin  in  17 14,  the 
writer,  who  had  probably  never  heard  of  the 
English  game,  says:  "  Pour  bien  jouer  I'om- 
bre,  il  faut  du  silence  et  de  la  tranquillite." 

But  whatever  may  be  the  views  held  in 
this  country  as  to  the  origin  of  the  name  of 
our  national  card-game,  it  is  only  fair  to  our 
ingenious  neighbours  across  the  Channel  to 
give  their  explanation,  which  we  find  in  a 
French  work  on  Whist  : 

"  At  a  time  when  French  was  the  current  language  in 
England,  the  people  had  become  so  infatuated  with  one 
of  their  games  at  cards  that  it  was  prohibited  after  a  cer- 
tain hour.  But  parties  met  clandestinely  to  practise  it ; 
and  when  the  question,  '  Voulez-vous  jouer  ?  '  was  an- 
swered by  '  Oui ! '  the  master  of  the  room  added  the  in- 
terjection, '  St ! '  to  impose  silence.  This  occurred  so 
often  that  '  Oui-st,'  became  at  length  the  current  appella- 
tion of  the  game  !  " 

With  these  names  there  came  to  be  asso- 
ciated another  of  a  very  strange  character  ; 
namely,  "  swabbers  "  or  "  swobbers."  Field- 
ing, for  example,  in  the  account  of  Jonathan 
Wild's  detention  in  the  spunging-house  in 
London,  in   1682,  says  :  ''  Whisk   and    swab- 


EARLY   HISTORY  23 

bers  was  the  game  then  in  the  chief  vogue." 
Swift,  in  his  "  Essay  on  the  Fates  of  Clergy- 
men," ridicules  Archbishop  Tenison,  who 
was  said  to  be  a  dull  man,  for  misunder- 
standing the  term.  He  relates  a  known 
story  of  a  clergyman  who  was  recommended 
to  the  Archbishop  for  preferment,  when  his 
Grace  said  :  ''  He  had  heard  that  the  clergy- 
man used  to  play  at  Wkist  and  sivobbcrs  ;  that 
as  to  playing  now  and  then  a  sober  game  at 
Whist  for  pastime,  it  might  be  pardoned,  but 
he  could  not  digest  those  wicked  swobbers." 
"  It  was  with  some  pains,"  added  the  Dean, 
''  that  my  Lord  Somers  could  undeceive 
him."  Johnson  quotes  the  pretended  speech 
of  the  Archbishop,  and  defines  swabbers  as 
''  four  privileged  cards,  which  are  only  inci- 
dentally used  for  betting  at  Whist."  The 
additional  term  was  of  limited  application, 
and  soon  went  out  of  use. 

It  is  curious  that  although  the  precursors 
of  Whist  had  enjoyed  favour  in  high  places, 
yet  Whist  itself  in  its  infancy  was  chiefly 
played  in  low  society,  where  cheats  and  sharp- 
ers assembled.  A  considerable  part  of  Cot- 
ton's chapter  is  devoted  to  a  warning  against 
the  tricks  and  frauds  of  these  gentry.  He 
alludes  to  the  ''  arts  used  in  dealino-,"  and 
shows  how,  by  ingenious  devices,  ''  cunning 


24  THE   PRIMITIVE   ERA 

fellows  about  this  city  may  not  only  know  all 
the  cards  by  their  backs,  but  may  turn  up 
honours  for  themselves,  and  avoid  doing  so 
for  their  adversaries."  The  following  pas- 
sage gives  some  significant  hints : 

"  He  that  can  by  craft  overlook  his  adversaries'  game  hath 
a  great  advantage,  for  by  that  means  he  may  partly  know 
what  to  play  securely.  There  is  a  way  to  discover  to  their 
partners  what  honours  they  have  ;  as  by  the  wink  of  one 
eye,  or  putting  one  finger  on  the  nose  or  table,  it  signifies 
one  honour ;  shutting  both  the  eyes,  two  ;  placing  three 
fingers  or  four  on  the  table,  three  or  four  honours." 

In  a  republication  of  Cotton's  Avork  by 
Seymour,  in  1734,  these  cautions  are  ampli- 
fied, showing  that  Whist  still  retained  the 
same  low  character.  The  editor  says :  ''  As 
Whisk  (he  uses  the  old  appellation)  is  a  tav- 
ern game,  the  sharpers  generall}'  take  care  to 
push  about  the  bottle  before  the  game  be- 
gins." A  special  chapter  is  given  to  ''  Piping 
at  Whisk,"  and  as  this  is  an  accomplishment 
not  generally  known  at  the  modern  Clubs, 
the  following  extract  may  be  interesting : 

"  By  piping  I  mean  when  one  of  the  company  that  does 
not  play  (which  frequently  happens)  sits  down  in  a  con- 
venient place  to  smoke  a  pipe  and  so  look  on,  pretending 
to  amuse  himself  that  way.  Now  the  disposing  of  his  fingers 
on  the  pipe,  whilst  smoking,  discovers  the  principal  cards 
that  are  in  the  person's  hand  he  overlooks,  which  was 
always  esteemed  a  sufficient  advantage  to  win  a  game. 


EARLY   HISTORY  25 

This  may  also  be  done  by  another  way,  i.e.,  by  common 
conversation.  '  Indeed,'  signifies  diamonds ;  '  truly,'  hearts  ; 
'  upon  my  word,'  clubs  ;  '  I  assure  you,'  spades." 

It  is  only  fair  to  add  that  with  the  bane  the 
editor  supplies  also  the  antidote.  He  says  : 
"  For  zvJiich  reasons  all  nice  gamesters  play  be- 
hind curtains.'' 

A  book  called  "  Annals  of  Gaming,"  of 
about  the  same  date,  says :  ''  There  are  sev- 
eral other  barefaced  practices  made  use  of, 
such  as  looking  over  hands,  changing  cards 
under  the  table,  and  often  from  off  the  table ; 
but  these  are  generally  made  use  of  by 
women,  who,  when  detected,  laugh  it  off, 
without  any  sense  of  shame  or  dishonour." 

There  is  other  evidence  of  the  low  charac- 
ter of  Whist.  Fielding  and  Pope,  as  we  have 
seen,  both  speak  of  it  disparagingly,  and 
Thomson,  in  his  ''Autumn"  (1730),  describes 
how,  after  a  heavy  hunt  dinner, 

"  Whist  awhile 
Walks  his  dull  round  beneath  a  cloud  of  smoke, 
Wreath'd  fragrant  from  the  pipe." 

This  being,  he  adds,  one  of  the  "  puling  idle- 
nesses "  introduced  to  cheat  the  thirsty  mo- 
ments until  the  party  do  something  more 
noble,  i.e. : 

"  Close  in  firm  circle,  and  set,  ardent,  in 
For  serious  drinking." 


26  THE   PRIMITIVE    ERA 

In  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century 
there  was  a  mania  for  card-playing  in  all 
parts  of  Europe,  and  in  all  classes  of  so- 
ciety ;  but  in  the  best  circles  Whist  was  un- 
known, or  at  least  ignored.  Gentlemen  in 
their  gaming  coteries  practised  Piquet  (a  fine 
and  verj^  old  game,  said  to  have  been  invent- 
ed in  France  in  the  fifteenth  century) ;  and  in 
ladies'  society  the  most  fashionable  amuse- 
ment was  Ombre,  immortalized  by  Pope's 
''Rape  of  the  Lock"  (1712)  in  a  manner 
strongly  contrasted  with  his  disparaging 
mention  of  Whist  a  year  or  two  later. 

There  was  also  a  curious  and  very  meritori- 
ous adaptation  of  Ombre  for  four  players, 
called  Quadrille.  This  was  fashionable,  and 
much  played  ;  it  formed  a  kind  of  intermedi- 
ate between  Ombre  and  Whist,  and  it  was 
probably  a  favourite  game  at  the  time  when 
Whist  suddenly  sprang  into  notoriety. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE    PRIMITIVE    GAME 

The  above  history  brings  us  to  the  begin- 
ning of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  as  Whist, 
although  not  then  a  fashionable  game,  must 
have  been  a  good  deal  played  by  the  com- 
mon class  of  people,  one  may  be  curious  to 
know  Avhat  the  pla}^  was  like.  Unfortunate- 
ly there  is  no  direct  information  about  this, 
but  we  may  find,  even  at  the  present  day, 
a  species  of  game  in  existence,  of  a  very  sim- 
ple kind,  which  has  been  clearly  derived 
from  oral  traditions  widely  spread,  and 
doubtless  of  great  antiquity.  There  is  there- 
fore reason  to  believe  that  this  form  of  game 
must  represent  the  handing  -  down  of  the 
rudest  practice  in  the  infancy  of  Whist.  We 
have  paid  some  attention  to  it,  and  find  it 
still  played  largely  in  domestic  circles.  It 
is  founded  on  the  most  primitive  ideas  of 
Avhat  should  be  done,  as  can  easily  be  shown. 

The  essence  of  the  game  of  Whist,  which 
runs  unchanged  through  all   its  varieties  of 


28  THE   PRIMITIVE   ERA 

form,  is  exceedingly  simple.  There  are  four 
players,  sitting  round  a  table  in  positions 
which  the  Americans  conveniently  describe 
as  North,  South,  East,  and  West;  North  and 
South  forming  a  partnership  against  a  similar 
partnership  of  East  and  West.  We  may 
then  quote  a  description  of  the  play  from 
Brand e's  "  Dictionary  of  Science,  Literature 
and  Art :  " 

"  The  cards  are  dealt  round,  thirteen  to  each  player,  the 
last,  or  bottom  one,  belonging  to  the  dealer,  being  turned 
tip  or  shewn ;  the  suit  to  which  this  belongs  is  then 
called  the  trump  suit,  and  takes  preference  of  all  the  others 
(this  being  the  oldest  or  '  triumph '  feature  of  the  game). 
The  others  are  called  '  plain  suits.' 

"  The  player  to  the  left  of  the  dealer  then  plays  a  card,  to 
which  the  other  players  in  succession  must  follow  suit, 
i.e.,  play  cards  of  the  same  suit,  if  they  have  them.  These 
four  cards  constitute  a  trick,  which  is  won  by  the  person 
who  plays  the  highest  card,  and  is  picked  up  by  the  winner 
or  his  partner.  The  winner  of  this  then  leads,  or  com- 
mences a  new  trick,  and  so  on  till  the  whole  thirteen  are 
played. 

"  When  a  player  cannot  follow  suit,  i.e.,  has  no  card  of 
the  suit  led,  he  may,  if  a  plain  suit  is  led,  either  play  a 
trump,  which  wins  the  trick  by  the  precedence  of  the  suit, 
or  may  discard  a  card  of  some  other  suit." 

The  partnership  couple  who  win  most 
tricks  have  the  advantage,  which  may  be 
''  scored  "  in  several  different  ways,  accord- 
ing  to   the  custom  or  agreement  prevalent 


THE   PRIMITIVE    GAME  29 

among  the  players.  According  to  the  sys- 
tem most  common  in  England,  all  tricks 
above  six  count  towards  "game,"  a  fortui- 
tous addition  being  made  for  the  accidental 
possession  of  "  honours." 

The  whole  object  of  the  play,  therefore,  is 
to  win  tricks,  and  this  may  obviously  be 
done  in  two  Avays  ;  either 

1.  By  the  predominance  of  high  cards  in 
the  suit  led,  or 

2,  By  trumping. 

Suppose,  now,  a  person  to  come  fresh  to 
the  game,  not  having  considered  its  intri- 
cacies at  all.  His  first  impulse  will  be  to  di- 
rect his  attention  to  the  chance  of  making 
tricks  by  high  cards;  and  when  he  looks  at 
his  hand  he  will  notice  what  high  cards  he 
has  in  it.  If  he  holds  an  ace,  for  example,  he 
will  be  tempted  to  lead  it  when  he  has  the 
lead,  or  to  play  it  when  the  suit  is  led  by 
some  one  else,  and  so  endeavour  to  secure  a 
trick  with  it  as  early  as  possible.  And  simi- 
larly if  he  holds  the  king,  when  the  ace  has 
already  been  played.  And  if  he  holds  several 
such  *'  master  cards,"  he  will  play  them  out 
successively  when  he  gets  the  chance. 

If,  having  nothing  of  this  simple  kind  to 
do,  he  holds  a  king,  the  ace  of  the  suit  being 


30  THE    PRIMITIVE    ERA 

Still  unplayed,  he  will  probably  be  tempted 
to  lead  a  small  card  of  that  suit,  in  the  hope 
that  it  may  somehow  bring  out  the  ace,  and 
so  make  his  king  good.  Or,  if  he  has  the 
queen,  he  may  attempt  the  same  policy,  bui 
with  less  hopefulness. 

But  he  will  also  not  be  unmindful  of  the 
other  method  of  making  tricks,  namely,  by 
trumping.  If,  therefore,  as  sometimes  hap- 
pens, he  is  originally  short  of  one  plain  suit, 
he  will  watch  for  that  suit  being  led,  and  will 
gladly  put  a  small  trump  upon  it.  And  if  he 
happens  to  have  a  tolerably  large  number  of 
trumps,  he  will  be  the  more  ready  to  seize 
upon,  what  appears  to  him,  this  profitable 
manner  of  using  them. 

If,  as  is  more  frequently  the  case,  he  holds 
one  card  onl}^  of  a  plain  suit  (called  a  "  single- 
ton "),  he  may,  when  he  gets  the  lead,  lead 
that  card  out,  in  the  hope  that  he  may  be 
able  to  trump  the  suit  when  it  comes  round 
again. 

He  will  also  acquire,  either  b}'  his  own  in- 
tuition or  b}^  some  vague  kind  of  tradition  or 
instruction,  the  idea  that  he  has  some  con- 
sideration to  give  to  his  partner,  whose  in- 
terests are  bound  up  with  his  own ;  and  that 
this  consideration  is  manifested  by  "  return- 
ing  his  partner  s  Icad^  This  principle  will 
be  suggested  to  him  by  his  own  play.     For 


THE    PRIMITIVE    GAME  3 1 

example,  if  he  leads  from  a  king,  and  succeeds 
thereby  in  bringing  the  ace  out,  he  will  be 
glad  for  his  partner  to  return  that  suit  to 
him  that  he  may  make  his  king.  Or,  if  he 
leads  a  singleton,  he  will  wish  his  partner 
to  return  that  suit  for  him  to  trump.  Thus 
the  mutual  return  of  the  lead  becomes  a 
great  feature  of  this  primitive  game,  and 
may  often  save  the  player  from  the  dis- 
agreeable necessity  of  scheming,  in  the  dark, 
a  new  lead  of  his  own. 

He  will  also,  in  accordance  with  the  ''  trump- 
ing" principle,  carefully  abstain  from  leading 
trumps,  so  checking  the  power  of  his  partner 
to  make  tricks  by  their  use. 

Beyond  the  above-mentioned  simple  ex- 
pedients, the  player  of  this  game  has  no  idea 
of  value  in  his  cards  generally,  and  he  is 
consequently  quite  careless  in  the  play  of 
such  as  are  not  wanted  for  immediate  trick- 
making.  He  will  naturally  ''follow  suit" 
when  required,  but  is  not  particular  which, 
of  several  low  cards,  he  may  use  for  the  pur- 
pose. All  these  minor  matters  are  a  blank  to 
him. 

But  it  must  not  be  supposed,  from  the 
simplicity  of  these  rules,  that  no  skill  is  re- 
quired in  the  play.  The  player  has  to  watch 
for  and  to  recollect  the  fall  of  the  highest 
cards  of  a  suit,  that  he  may  know  when  he 


32  THE    PRIMITIVE    ERA 

is  left  Avith  the  best  of  it,  and  may  play  it 
accordingly.  He  has  also  to  recollect  his 
partner's  lead,  and  particularl}^  to  mark 
when  he  is  short  of  a  suit,  so  as  to  lose  no 
opportunity  of  leading  it  for  him. 

Primitive  and  unpretentious  as  this  sort 
of  game  is,  it  is  played  by  enormous  num- 
bers of  domestic  players,  who  find  incidents 
enough  in  it  to  amuse  them  for  hours  to- 
gether. And  though  many  of  them  would 
doubtless  be  able  to  learn  and  to  enjoy  a 
more  intellectual  form,  there  is  no  reason 
why  it  should  be  thrust  upon  them,  or  why 
they  should  be  calumniated  for  adhering  to 
their  innocent  form  of  entertainment.  It  is 
probable  that  they  follow  fairl}^  the  general 
mode  of  play  in  the  infancy  of  the  game. 


PART   II 
THE   ERA  OF   HOYLE 

A.D.  1730  TO    i860 


CHAPTER   III 

HISTORY 
HOYLE,    PAYNE,   AND    MATTHE\VS 

It  has  been  necessary  to  show,  in  our  First 
Chapter,  the  low  state  of  Whist  in  its  primi- 
tive stage,  both  in  social  rank  and  in  style 
of  play,  in  order  to  bring  out  more  promi- 
nently the  fact  of  its  sudden  elevation  to 
fame  and  honour,  and  the  great  merit  of  the 
man  to  whom  this  elevation  was  due. 

About  1730  the  ''ordinaries,"  where  gam- 
bling had  been  long  carried  on  to  an  enormous 
extent,  and  with  the  most  scandalous  abuses, 
began  to  be  superseded  by  the  more  intellect- 
ual meetings  at  taverns  and  coffee-houses, 
which  figure  so  prominently  in  the  literary 
annals  of  the  last  centur3\  It  happened  that 
a  party  of  gentlemen  who  frequented  the 
Crown  Coffee-house  in  Bedford  Row,  and  of 
whom  the  first  Lord  Folkestone  was  one, 
had  become  acquainted  with  the  game,  and, 
in  defiance  of  its  bad  reputation,  tried  it  at 
their  meetings.     They  soon  found  out  it  had 


36  THE   ERA   OF    HOYLE 

merits.  They  studied  it  carefully,  and  ar- 
rived, for  the  first  time,  at  some  principles 
of  play. 

The  wa}^  having  been  thus  prepared,  there 
was  wanting  a  man  of  genius  who  would 
further  work  out  the  elements  of  the  game, 
and  mould  it  into  a  permanent  form.  This 
man  appeared  in  the  person  of  Edmond 
HOVLE.  There  is  very  little  trustworthy  in- 
formation as  to  his  antecedents.  He  was 
born,  according  to  the  best  account  that  ex- 
ists, about  1679.  It  is  said  he  studied  as  a 
barrister,  and  he  styles  himself  in  his  first 
book  "  a  gentleman."  It  is  clear  he  was  a 
man  of  good  education,  and  moved  in  good 
society.  Possibly  he  was  one  of  the  party 
Avho  met  at  the  Crown. 

It  appears  that  he  had  noticed  the  game  at 
an  early  period,  when  it  was  quite  in  its  low 
estate.  He  studied  i  ..ell,  and  saw  that  it 
had  great  capabilities,  but  that  it  was  much 
debased  by  the  use  uiade  of  it  by  sharpers 
for  cheating  inexperienced  players  out  of 
their  money.  He  believed  it  was  in  his 
power  to  guard  the  public  against  these 
unprincipled  practices,  as  well  as  to  excite 
a  more  legitimate  interest  in  the  game,  by 
spreading  a  better  knowledge  of  the  prin- 
ciples on  which  it  should  be  played.  To  at- 
tain these   objects,  therefore,  he   resolved  to 


HISTORY. — HOYLE,    PAYNE,    MATTHEWS     3/ 

tcacJi  it  professionally,  in  the  same  wa}^  that 
a  master  would  teach  music,  or  di"awing,  or 
fencing-,  or  any  other  accomplishment. 

His  spirited  attempt  excited  much  atten- 
tion, and  we  find  several  notices  of  it  on  rec- 
ord. In  the  Rambler  oi  May  8,  1750,  a  lady 
writes  : 

"As  for  play,  I  do  think  I  may  indulge  in  that,  now  I 
am  my  own  mistress.  Papa  made  me  drudge  at  Whist 
till  I  was  tired  of  it ;  and  far  from  wanting  a  head,  Mr. 
Hoyle,  when  he  had  not  given  me  above  forty  lessons, 
said  I  was  one  of  his  best  scholars." 

In  the  Gentleman  s  Magazine  of  February, 
1755,  a  writer,  professing  to  give  the  auto- 
biography of  a  fashionable  physician,  says  : — 

"  Hoyle  tutored  me  in  several  games  at  cards,  and  under 
the  name  of  guarding  me  from  being  cheated,  insensibly 
gave  me  a  taste  for  sharping." 

In  the  course  of  his  instruction  Mr.  Hoyle 
gave  to  his  pupils  some  manuscript  notes 
which  he  had  drawn  up  containing  rules  and 
directions  for  their  guidance.  The  novelty 
and  great  value  of  these  rules  and  direc- 
tions were  soon  discovered,  and  as  the  fame 
of  his  instruction  spread,  surreptitious  copies 
began  to  get  into  circulation  ;  when  Mr. 
Hoyle,  to  secure  his  copyright,  had  them 
printed  and   published,   and    thus    arose    the 


91855 


38  THE   ERA   OF   HOYLE 

famous    work    which    has    immortalized    his 
name. 

We  shall  give  some  particulars  as  to  this 
book  in  the  next  chapter.  There  is  only  one 
copy  known  to  exist  of  the  first  edition,  which 
is  in  the  Bodleian  Library.  It  has  a  long 
title,  beginning  as  follows  : 

"  A  Short  Treatise  on  the  Game  of  Whist,  containing  the 
Laws  of  the  Game,  and  also  some  Rules  whereby  a  Be- 
ginner may,  with  due  attention  to  them,  attain  to  the  Play- 
ing it  well." 

The  date  upon  it  is  1742. 

The  book  had  a  great  and  rapid  success  ;  it 
went  through  several  editions  very  quickl}^, 
and  it  seems  to  have  been  again  pirated,  as 
the  author  found  it  necessary  to  certify  every 
genuine  copy  by  attaching  his  autograph 
signature,  of  which  the  following,  taken  from 
the  thirteenth  edition,  is  a  fac-simile. 

At  this  time  changes  had  been  made,  in- 
creasing the  winning  score  to  ten,  and  using 
the  whole  pack,  thus  allotting  thirteen  cards 
to   each    player.      This    latter   improvement 


HISTORY. — HOYLE,    PAYNE,    MATTHEWS     39 

gave  the  first  introduction  of  the  odd  trick, 
an  element  now  of  such  great  interest ;  and, 
taken  all  together,  the  game,  as  Hoyle  pre- 
sents it,  is  precisely  the  form  of  Long  Whist 
ever  since  played. 

The  effect  of  Hoyle's  promulgation  of  the 
game  in  its  improved  form  was  very  prompt, 
as  we  learn  from  a  clever  and  amusing  bro- 
chure that  appeared  in  1743,  called 

"  The  Humours  of  Whist,  a  dramatic  Satire,  as  acted 
every  day  at  White's  and  other  Coffee-houses  and  As- 
semblies." 

It  is  a  short  comedy,  the  principal  characters 
being  Professor  Whiston  (Hoyle),  who  gives 
lessons  in  the  game  ;  Sir  Calculation  Puzzle, 
an  enthusiastic  player  who  muddles  his  head 
with  Hoyle's  calculations,  and  always  loses  ; 
pupils,  sharpers,  and  their  dupes.  The  ob- 
ject is  chiefly  to  ridicule  the  pretensions  of 
Hoyle  and  the  enthusiasm  of  his  followers, 
and  to  show  that  skill  and  calculation  are  of 
no  avail  against  bad  luck  or  premeditated 
fraud.  The  work  was  reprinted  ten  years 
later,  but  it  is  scarce,  and  it  will  be  useful  to 
give  a  few  extracts  that  throw  light  on  the 
circumstances  attending  the  first  introduction 
of  the  new  rules. 

It  would  appear  that  Hoyle  had  spent  a 
considerable  time  in  the  study  of  the  game  ; 


40  THE   ERA    OF   HOYLE 

and    the     prologue    to    the    ''  Humours    of 
Whist  "  says  : 

"  Who  will  believe  that  man  could  e'er  exist, 
Who  spent  near  half  an  age  in  studying  whist  ? 
Grew  grey  with  calculation,  labour  hard, 
As  if  life's  business  center'd  in  a  card  ? 
That  such  there  is,  let  me  to  those  appeal 
Who  with  such  liberal  hands  reward  his  zeal. 
Lo !  Whist  becomes  a  science,  and  our  peers 
Deign  to  turn  schoolboys  in  their  riper  years." 

Sir  Calculation  Puzzle  gives  some  amusing 
explanations  of  his  losses.  In  one  case  he 
says  : 

"  That  certainly  was  the  most  out  of  the  way  bite  [swin- 
dle] ever  heard  of.  Upon  the  pinch  of  the  game,  when 
he  must  infallibly  have  lost  it.  the  dog  ate  the  losing  card, 
by  which  means  we  dealt  again,  and  faith  he  won  the 
game." 

Again,  he  describes  a  curious  ending  of  a 
game : 

"  W^e  were  nine  all.  The  adversary  had  3  and  we 
4  tricks.  All  the  trumps  were  out.  I  had  Queen  and 
two  small  clubs,  with  the  lead.  Let  me  see  ;  it  was  about 
222  and  3  halves  to — gad,  I  forget  how  many — that  my 
partner  had  the  ace  and  King ;  ay,  that  he  had  not  both  of 
them,  17  to  2  ;  and  that  he  had  not  one,  or  both,  or  neither, 
some  25  to  32.  So  I,  according  to  the  judgment  of  the 
game,  led  a  club  ;  my  partner  takes  it  with  the  King.  Then 
it  was  exactly  481  for  us  to  222  for  them.  He  returns  the 
same  suit,  and  I  win  it  with  my  Queen,  and  return  it  again  ; 


HISTORY. — riOYLE,    PAYNE,    MATTHEWS     4 1 

but  the  devil  take  that  Lurchum,  by  passing  his  ace  twice, 
he  took  the  trick,  and  having-  two  more  clubs  and  a  thir- 
teenth card,^  egad,  all  was  over." 

The  praise  of  Hoyle's  book  by  its  support- 
ers is  unbounded.     They  say: 

"  There  never  was  so  excellent  a  book  printed.  I'm  quite 
in  raptures  with  it.  I  will  eat  with  it,  sleep  with  it,  go  to 
Parliament  with  it,  go  to  church  with  it.  I  pronounce  it 
the  gospel  of  Whist-players.  I  want  words  to  express  the 
author,  and  can  look  on  him  in  no  other  light  than  as  a 
second  Newton.  I  have  joined  twelve  companies  in  the 
Mall,  and  eleven  of  them  were  talking  of  it.  It's  the  sub- 
ject of  all  conversation,  and  has  had  the  honour  to  be  in- 
troduced into  the  Cabinet." 

The  wits,  however,  did  not  neglect  to  poke 
fun  at  the  Professor : 

"  Bean.  Ha  !  ha  !  ha  I  I  shall  dye  !  Yonder  is  Lord 
Finesse  and  Sir  George  Tenace,  two  first-rate  players ; 
they  have  been  most  lavishly  beat  by  a  couple  of  'pren- 
tices. Ha !  ha !  ha !  They  came  slap  four  by  honours 
upon  them  almost  every  deal. 

"  Lord  Rally.  I  find.  Professor,  your  book  does  not 
teach  how  to  beat  four  by  honours  !     Ha  !  ha  !  ha  ! 

"  Professor  (aside).  Curse  them  ;  I'd  rather  have  given 
a  thousand  pounds  than  this  should  have  happened.  It 
strikes  at  the  reputation  of  my  Treatise. 

"  Lord  Rally.     In  my  opinion  there  is  still  something 

1  An  artifice  probaljly  taught  by  Hoyle,  See  further  remarks 
on  this  matter  in  Appendix  A. 


42  THE   ERA   OF   HOYLE 

wanting  to  compleat  the  system  of  Whist ;  and  that  is  a 
Dissertation  on  the  Lucky  Chair  !     {Ctvnpaiiy  laieg/i) 

"  Pi'ofessor.  Ha  !  ha  !  ha  !  Your  Lordship's  hint  is  ex- 
cellent.    I'm  obliged  to  you  for  it." 

In  spite  of  all  this  banter,  however,  Whist 
continued  to  advance  rapidly  in  public  fa- 
vour, and  about  ten  years  later  it  arrived  at 
its  culmination  in  fashion  by  being  received 
at  court  and  formally  acknowledged  as  one 
of  the  royal  amusements.^ 

In  1758  it  had  become  a  fit  recreation  for 
University  men,  as  in  No.  33  of  the  Tatlcr  the 
senior  fellow  of  a  college  at  Cambridge  rep- 
resents himself  and  his  party  as  "sitting  late 
at  Whist  in  the  evening." 

Hoyle,  fortunately,  lived  to  see  and  to  en- 
joy the  success  of  his  labours ;  but  in  the  fif- 
teenth edition  of  his  book  the  well-known 
signature  v/as  for  the  first  time  not  given 
with  his  own  hand,  but  was  impressed  from 
a  Avood  block,  and  in  the  seventeenth  edition 
it   was    announced    that    ''  JNIr.    Hoyle    was 

1  The  evidence  of  this  is  curious.  In  1720  there  had  been  pub- 
lished a  little  book  called  the  "  Court  Gamester,"  said  on  the  title- 
page  to  be  "written  for  the  use  of  the  young  princesses,"  the 
daughters  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  afterwards  George  II.  It  had 
also  a  second  part  called  the  City  Gamester,  containing  less  polite 
games,  used  east  of  Temple  Bar.  Whist  was  included  in  the  lat- 
ter category  up  to  the  seventh  edition,  but  in  the  next,  dated  1754, 
it  was  honoured  by  being  transferred  to  the  "  Court/'  or  palace 
division. 


HISTORY. — HOYLE,    PAYNE,    MATTHEWS     43 

dead."     The  great  man  departed  this  life  at 
the  ripe  age  of  ninety,  in  August,  1769.^ 


1  Later  researches  by  "  Cavendish  "  have  unearthed  many  con- 
temporary references  to  Hoyle  and  his  work,  which  show  the  re- 
markable popularity  that  he,  and  the  game  of  Whist,  as  taught  by 
him,  attained. 

The  first  edition  of  his  book,  though  it  bears  the  date  1743,  was 
entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  November,  1742,  and  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  five  editions  had  appeared  before  the  end 
of  1743. 

It  is  mentioned  in  a  letter  from  Horace  Walpole  to  Sir  Horace 
Mann,  dated  April  4,  1743.     He  says  : 

"  I  really  don't  know  why  I  am  so  dry  ;  mine  used  to  be  the 
pen  of  a  ready  writer,  but  Whist  seems  to  have  stretched  its  lead- 
en wand  over  me,  too,  who  have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  I  am  try- 
ing to  set  the  noble  game  of  Bilboquet  against  it,  and  composing 
a  grammar  in  opposition  to  Mr.  Hoyle's.  You  will  some  day  or 
other  see  an  advertisement  in  the  papers  to  tell  you  where  it  may 
be  bought,  and  that  ladies  may  be  waited  on  by  the  author  at 
their  houses,  to  receive  any  further  directions." 

Bilboquet  is  a  form  of  "cup  and  ball,"  said  to  be  a  favourite 
amusement  with  literary  men  (See  Guy  de  Maupassant^  "  Bel- 
Ami  ").  Walpole's  last  paragraph  is  clearly  in  ridicule  of  some 
similar  announcements  by  Hoyle. 

The  popularity  of  his  Whist  teaching  among  ladies  is  referred 
to  as  early  as  1743  or  1744,  in  a  Ladies'  Journal,  and  in  1750 
there  is  published  a  long  (probably  fictitious)  letter  from  a  lady 
to  Hoyle. 

In  1748  Whist  parties  of  fashionable  people  at  Bath  are  de- 
scribed, and  in  1752  Hoyle's  name  is  enshrined  in  a  "  Hymn  to 
Fashion."  In  1753  he  is  called  "the  great  Mr.  Hoyle,"  and  in 
1754  his  "philosophic  pen"  is  alluded  to,  attention  being  called 
to  his  known  ability  for  probability  calculations.  About  that  time 
the  popular  enthusiasm  seems  to  have  been  at  its  height,  as  we 
find  Hoyle  and  Whist  frequently  mentioned  by  poets  and  other 
writers  as  of  considerable  public  interest. 

In  1755,  however,  the  venerable  master,  then  about  seventy-six 
years  of  age,  is  spoken  of  as  giving  up  personal  teaching,  and  it 
was  suggested  that  a  "  school  for  Whist  "  should  be  formed.     His 


44  'l^HE   ERA    OF   HOVLE 

Byron's  oft-quoted  parallel, 

"  Troy  owes  to  Homer  what  Whist  owes  to  Hoyle," 

hardly  does  justice  to  our  author,  for  he  was 
far  more  than  the  historian  of  Whist ;  he 
may  essentially  be  considered  its  founder. 

Hoyle  had  two  excellent  successors  in  the 
same  epoch,  Payne  and  Matthews,  who  car- 
ried on  his  work  very  intelligently  and  suc- 
cessfully. 

Immediately  after  Hoyle's  death,  i.e.,  about 
1770,  there  appeared  a  little  book  entitled : 

"  Maxims  for  playing  the  Game  of  Whist,  with  all  nec- 
essary Calculations  ;  and  the  Laws  of  the  Game.  Lon- 
don. Printed  for  T.  Payne  &  Son,  next  the  Mews  Gate, 
St.  Martin's." 

No  author's  name  w^as  given,  but  the  writer 
was  a  William  Payne,  and  the  book  has 
always  gone  by  the  name  of  "  Payne's  Max- 
ims."    The  author  said,  in  his  Preface : 

book  remained,  but  personal  instruction  was  never  revived  till  it 
was  adopted  by  the  Americans  a  few  years  ago. 

In  1769  the  newspapers  give  accounts  of  Hoyle's  death  as  of  a 
well-known  public  character.  A  writer  shortly  afterwards  quotes 
from  the  Parish  Register  of  Marylebone,  "  Edmund  [sic)  Hoyle, 
buried  August  the  23d,  1769  :  Autlior  of  a  well-known  'J  reatise  on 
the  Game  of  Whist ;  "  and  adds,  "  He  was  ninety  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  his  decease."  This  is,  perhaps,  the  best  statement 
of  his  age,  but  some  accounts  make  him  older.  Unfortunately, 
neither  the  Register  nor  the  tombstone  can  now  be  found. 

The  data  in  this  note  are  for  the  most  part  new,  and  are  given 
by  "  Cavendish's  "  kind  permission. 


HISTORY.— HOYLE,  PAYNE,  MATTHEWS  45 

"  The  game  of  whist  is  so  happily  compounded  betwixt 
chance  and  skill,  that  it  is  generally  esteemed  the  most 
curious  and  entertaining  of  the  cards,  and  is  therefore  be- 
come a  favourite  pastime  to  persons  of  the  first  conse- 
quence and  the  most  distinguished  abilities. 

"  The  great  variety  of  hands  and  critical  cases,  arising 
from  such  a  number  of  cards,  renders  the  game  so  nice 
and  difficult,  that  much  time  and  practice  has  heretofore 
been  necessary  to  the  obtaining  a  tolerable  degree  of 
knowledge  in  it. 

"  The  following  maxims  were  begun  by  way  of  memo- 
randums for  private  use,  and  are  published  with  a  design 
to  instruct  beginners,  to  assist  the  moderate  proficient, 
and,  in  general,  to  put  the  players  more  upon  equality  by 
disclosing  the  secrets  of  the  game," 

Payne's  book  has  the  advantage  of  being 
well  arranged.  He  introduced  a  series  of 
classified  Maxims  for  the  general  guidance 
of  the  student,  some  of  which  were  new  and 
original,  and  foreshadowed  a  more  modern 
phase  of  the  game. 

"  Payne's  Maxims  "  were  incorporated  into 
the  so-called  ''  improved  "  editions  of  Hoyle, 
published  after  the  great  master's  death. 

After  Whist  had  come  well  into  vogue,  one 
of  the  chief  seats  of  its  practice  was  the  city 
of  Bath,  where  card  games  had  been  much 
encouraged  generally  ;  and  during  the  half 
century  after  Hoyle's  work  appeared,  the 
constant  practice  of  Whist  there,  by  clever 


46  THE   ERA    OF   HOYLE 

players,  had  i-esulted  in  many  improvements 
in  detail.  These  were  put  on  record  in  a  lit- 
tle work  on  the  subject,  which  was  published 
in  Bath  in  1804,  under  the  foUow^ing  elaborate 
title : 

"  Advice  to  the  young  Whist  Player  :  containing  most 
of  the  Maxims  of  the  old  School,  with  the  Author's  Ob- 
ser\'ations  on  those  he  thinks  erroneous ;  with  several  new 
ones,  exemplified  by  apposite  cases  ;  and  a  method  of  ac- 
quiring a  knowledge  of  the  principles  on  which  they  are 
grounded ;  pointed  out  to  the  inexperienced  whist  player. 
By  an  Amateur." 

The  author's  name  was  attached  in  subse- 
quent editions  as  "  Thomas  Matthews,  Esq."  ' 
He  says  in  one  place : 

"  It  may  not  be  unnecessary^  to  inform  the  reader  that 
most  of  Hoyle's  maxims  were  collected  during  what  may 
be  called  the  infancy  of  Whist ;  and  that  he  himself,  so  far 
from  being  able  to  teach  the  game,  was  not  fit  to  sit  down 
even  with  the  third-rate  players  of  the  present  day." 

This  is  hard  on  the  father  of  the  game, 
and  lacks  confirmation  ;  but  still,  iNIatthews's 
book  is  an  excellent  one,  much  of  which  is 
worthy  of  attentive  stud3\ 

About  this  date,  so  popular  had  the  game 
of  Whist  become,  that  it  was  made  to  form 

1  In  one  edition,  much  circulated,  the  name  was  spelt  "  Ma- 
thews," an  error  that  has,  in  consequence,  become  very  common. 


HISTORY.— HOYLE,  PAYNE,  MATTHEWS  47 

the  subject  of  an  elaborate  Epic  poem.     This 
appeared  in  1791,  and  was  entitled  : 

"  Whist :  a  Poem  in  twelve  Cantos." 

The  author  was  a  Scotch  gentleman  named 
Alexander  Thomson ;  and  his  book,  which 
went  through  two  editions,  shewed  much 
learning  by  quotations  from  or  references  to 
authors  in  almost  every  language,  dead  or 
living,  and  of  almost  every  age,  from  the  Pa- 
triarchs to  the  eighteenth  century.  After  a 
proper  invocation,  it  gives  a  mythical  account 
of  the  introduction  of  playing-cards  and  the 
invention  of  the  game  ;  then  versifies  the  laws 
and  rules,  describes  the  play  of  a  hand,'  philos- 
ophizes on  the  character  and  merits  of  the 
game,  and  winds  up  with  a  rhapsody  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  Nor  do  I  yet  despair  to  see  the  day 
When  hostile  armies,  rang'd  in  neat  array, 
Instead  of  fighting,  shall  engage  in  play. 
When  peaceful  whist  the  quarrel  shall  decide, 
And  Christian  blood  be  spilt  on  neither  side. 
Then  pleas  no  more  shall  wait  the  tardy  laws, 
But  one  odd  trick  at  once  conclude  the  cause. 
(Tho'  some  will  say  that  this  is  nothing  new, 
For  here  there  have  been  long  odd  tricks  enow  !) 
Then  Britain  still,  to  all  the  world's  surprise, 
In  this  great  science  shall  progressive  rise, 
Till  ages  hence,  when  all  of  each  degree 
Shall  play  the  game  as  well  as  Hoyle  or  me ! " 

J  See  Appendix  A,  where  the  hand  is  given. 


48  THE   ERA   OF    HOYLE 

The  knowledge  of  Whist  was  circulated  at 
an  early  period  among  intellectual  coteries 
on  the  continent  by  translations  of  Hoyle. 
It  took  good  root  in  France  ;  it  was  played 
by  Louis  XV.,  and  under  the  first  empire  it 
was  a  favourite  game  of  Josephine  and  Marie 
Louise,  and  Napoleon  played  it  much  at  St. 
Helena.  After  the  Restoration  it  was  taken 
up  more  enthusiastically.  "  The  nobles,"  says 
a  French  writer,  "  had  gone  to  England  to 
learn  to  think,  and  they  brought  back  the 
thinking  game  with  them."  It  was  said  that 
any  one  engaged  at  this  game  had  "  I'air 
gentleman  et  diplomate." 

Talleyrand  was  a  great  player;  he  spent 
at  it  in  his  latter  years  many  hours  every 
day,  and  the  7;/ot  ascribed  to  him,  ''  Vous  ne 
savez  paz  le  whiste,  jeune  homme?  Quelle 
triste  viellesse  vous  vous  preparez !  "  is  a 
standing  quotation  in  all  Whist  books. 
Charles  X.  was  playing  Whist  at  St.  Cloud 
on  July  29,  1830,  when  the  tricolour  was 
waving  on  the  Tuileries,  and  he  had  lost  his 
throne. 

In  1839  appeared  a  "  Traite  du  Whiste,"  by 
M.  Deschapelles,  whom  Clay  called  "  the 
finest  Whist  player  beyond  any  comparison 
the  world  had  ever  seen."  Much  was  to  be 
expected  from  such  a  quarter,  but  the  pub- 
lication was  but  a  fragment  of  a  larger  work 


HISTORY.— HOYLE,    PAYNE,    MATTHEWS     49 

that  never  appeared,  and  it  was  devoted 
principally  to  the  laws  of  the  game.  The 
author  said  little  about  the  play ;  but  treated 
the  subject  in  a  manner  highly  spiritucl.  He 
reasoned  on  immensity  and  eternity  ;  on  met- 
aphysical necessity  and  trial  by  jury  ;  he  in- 
voked the  sun  of  Joshua  and  the  star  of  the 
Magi ;  he  investigated  the  electric  affinities 
of  the  players ;  and  illustrated  a  hand  by 
analytical  geometry.     He   died  at  Paris   in 

1847. 

Whist  was  also  much  cultivated  in  Aus- 
tria, as  is  shown  by  the  well-known  fact 
that  the  great  Prince  Metternich,  the  prime 
minister  of  that  empire  during  nearly  the  first 
half  of  the  present  century,  was  a  passionate 
enthusiast  for  the  game. 

Meanwhile,  after  the  publication  of  Mat- 
thews's  work,  Whist  went  steadily  on,  not 
only  in  Bath  (so  long  as  the  fashion  of  the 
gay  city  of  Bladud  lasted)  but  also  in  Lon- 
don, w^here  it  was  taken  up  by  the  choice  so- 
cieties meeting  in  the  best  clubs. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  present  cen- 
tury an  important  change  took  place,  namely, 
the  introduction  of  SJiort  Whist,  by  altering 
the  winning  score  from  ten  to  five.  The 
change  is  said  to  have  originated  in  an  acci- 
dent ;  Lord  Peterborough  having  one  night 


so  THE   ERA   OF   HOVLE 

lost  a  large  sum  of  money,  the  friends  with 
whom  he  was  playing  proposed  to  give  him 
the  revancJie  at  five  points  instead  of  ten,  in 
order  to  afford  him  a  quicker  chance  of  re- 
covering his  loss.  The  new  plan  was  found 
so  lively  that  it  soon  became  popular,  and  ul- 
timately superseded  Long  Whist  altogether 
in  the  best  circles. 

The  reason  of  this  preference  is  not  dif- 
ficult to  discover.  All  good  pla3-ers  must 
have  found  out  how  the  interest  increased  to- 
wards the  close  of  the  Long  game,  when  the 
parties  Avere  pretty  even,  and  when  it  became 
necessary  to  pa}^  stricter  attention  to  the 
score  in  order  to  regulate  the  play.  Now  to 
cause  this  state  of  things  to  recur  more  fre- 
quently, it  would  be  sufficient  to  play,  as  it 
were,  the  latter  half  of  the  game  without  the 
former,  i.e.,  to  coimncnce  zvith  both  parties  at 
the  seore  of  five,  for  this  is  the  true  sense  of 
the  alteration. 

This  mode  of  viewing  it  accounts  for  no 
change  being  made  in  the  value  of  the  hon- 
ours. Some  persons  think  the  scoring  of 
these  should  have  been  halved,  and  no  doubt 
this  would  have  given  more  effect  to  skill  in 
play  ;  indeed,  for  this  object  the  Americans 
have  abolished  the  honour-scores  altogether. 
But  to  the  generality  of  English  players  such 
a  change  would  have  rendered  the  game  less 


HISTORY.— HOYLE,  PAYNE,  MATTHEWS  5 1 

interesting.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that 
the  element  of  chance  is  often  considered  one 
of  the  attractive  features  of  Whist,  by  good 
players  as  well  as  by  mediocre  ones ;  and  to 
diminish  its  influence  might,  in  many  cir- 
cles, endanger  the  popularity  of  the  game. 

The  Short  form  gradually  increased  in  fa- 
vour, and  by  the  middle  of  the  century  the 
old  "Long  Whist"  became  practically  ex- 
tinct, or  at  least  only  survived  in  spheres  far 
removed  from  the  metropolitan  centre. 


CHAPTER   IV 

THE    HOYLE    GAME 

The  evidence  of  the  earliest  attempt  to  im- 
prove the  game  is  given  by  the  Hon.  Daines 
Harrington,  writing  in  1786  {Archceologia,  Vol. 
Vin.)  on  the  information  of  a  gentleman  then 
86  years  of  age.     He  says  : 

"  Whisk  seems  never  to  have  been  played  upon  principles 
till  about  50  years  ago  [1736J,  when  it  was  much  studied 
by  a  set  of  gentlemen  who  frequented  the  Crown  Coffee 
House  in  Bedford  Row.  Before  that  time  it  was  chiefly 
confined  to  the  servants'  hall,  with  All-fours  and  Put. 

"  They  laid  down  the  following  rules  :  To  play  from  the 
strongest  suit  ;  To  study  your  partner's  /land  as  muck  as 
your  own  ;  Never  to  force  your  partner  unnecessarily  ; 
and  To  attend  to  the  score.'' 

These  precepts  show  a  considerable  ad- 
vance beyond  the  Primitive  Game. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  Hoyle  was  one 
of  the  party,  and  that  these  rules  may  have 
been  the  first  indications  of  his  own  great 
improvements.  All  Ave  know  is,  that  his 
book,  embodying  and  amplifying  the  above- 
mentioned    precepts,   first    appeared    a    few 


THE    HOYLE    GAME  53 

years  after  the  date  mentioned ;  and  Ave 
know,  further,  that  this  book  made  such  an 
impression  on  the  public  as  to  give  them 
the  idea  that  he  was  introducing  a  new 
game.  The  object  of  the  play  remained 
the  same,  namely,  to  make  tricks;  but  the 
modes  of  doing  so  were  much  varied  and  ex- 
tended. The  primitive  plan  laid  stress  on 
two  modes :  first,  by  the  natural  predomi- 
nance of  master-cards  (which  it  was  accord- 
ingly considered  advisable  to  play  out  earl}^), 
and  secondly,  by  trumping.  The  new  game 
opened  more  far-seeing  views. 

In  the  first  place,  although  due  advantage 
was  taken  of  master-cards,  it  did  not  recom- 
mend that  they  should  be  played  out  early, 
except  in  special  cases,  as  benefit  might  often 
result  from  keeping  them  back  for  a  time. 

Hoyle  pointed  out  that  trick-making  de- 
pended much  more  on  the  relative  positions 
of  the  cards  in  the  four  hands,  than  on  the 
high  cards  in  one  hand  alone  ;  and  that,  if  the 
results  of  the  play  of  a  hand  were  carefully 
examined,  it  would  be  found  that  the  majority 
of  tricks  were  made  by  means  that  could  not 
be  foreseen  at  the  beginning  by  any  single 
player.  Hence,  he  showed  that  by  taking 
advantage  of  \\\q  position  of  the  cards  lying  in 
the  various  hands,  or  by  other  skilful  contri- 
vances, tricks  might  be  made  by  cards  of  lower 


54  THE   ERA    OF   HOYLE 

value,  even  while  higher  cards  of  the  suit 
were  still  in  the  opponents'  possession. 

He  also  explained  how  tricks  might  be 
made  by  a  number  of  small  cards  of  a  long 
suit,  so  entailing  the  exclusion  of  tricks  in 
other  good  suits  held  by  the  adversaries. 
This  "  long-suit  system  "  was  destined  to  be 
of  immense  import  in  the  structure  of  later 
forms  of  the  game. 

He  further  introduced  novel  ideas  about 
trumping.  He  proved  that  to  obtain  tricks 
in  this  way  was  not  always  the  best  use  that 
could  be  made  of  the  powerful  cards  of  the 
trump  suit.  In  many  cases  they  might  pre- 
ferably be  used  to  disarm  the  adversaries, 
and  by  that  means  to  obtain  secondary  ad- 
vantages in  trick-making  by  other  suits  of 
less  apparent  power. 

It  resulted  from  all  these  novelties,  that 
whereas  the  efforts  of  play  in  the  Primitive 
Game  were  very  simple,  dictated  only  by  the 
most  obvious  condition  of  the  player's  own 
hand,  the  new  game  introduced  more  com- 
plex considerations  regarding  tJie  other  hands 
also,  and  the  advantages  that  might  be  taken 
of  the  positions  of  the  cards  in  them. 

It  may  be  conceived  that  Hoyle,  in  in- 
structing a  pupil,  might  lay  down  on  the 
table  a  set  of  four  hands  exposed  face  up- 
wards, one  of  the  four  being  appropriated  to 


THE    HUYLE    GAME  55 

the  learner.  He  would  first  call  attention  to 
the  few  tricks  which  that  player  might  make 
from  his  own  hand,  according  to  the  primi- 
tive mode  of  play,  and  he  would  then  contrast 
this  result  with  what  might  be  obtained  by 
the  new  system. 

He  would  go  on,  probably,  to  inform  his 
pupil  by  what  means  information  as  to  the 
other  hands  might  be  obtained.  He  would 
show  how  inferences  might  be  drawn  from 
the  cards  played,  explaining  that  every  card 
falling  from  the  hand  either  of  a  partner  or 
of  an  opponent  might,  if  properly  interpreted, 
afford  some  indication  as  to  the  cards  re- 
maining in  the  player's  hand  ;  and  thus  he 
would  impress  upon  the  learner  the  great 
lesson  of  watching  ''  the  fall  of  the  cards," 
and  endeavouring  to  regulate  his  own  play 
according  to  the  indications  shown. 

This  new  element  of  directing  attention  to 
the  contents  of  the  other  hands,  instead  of 
confining  it  to  the  player's  hand  only,  may 
probably  be  considered  to  be  the  most  sali- 
ent point  of  Hoyle's  improvement  in  Whist, 
and  has  ever  since  held  a  most  prominent  po- 
sition in  Whist  science. 

It  is  interesting  to  consider  the  manner  in 
which  the  great  man  carried  out  his  teach- 
ing.    The  improvement  above-mentioned  in 


56  THE    ERA    OF    HOYLE 

the  Structure  of  the  game  necessitated  rules 
and  expedients  in  great  complexity,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  almost  infinite  variety  of  the 
distribution  of  the  cards  in  the  different 
hands ;  and  this  fact  almost  precluded  his 
directions  from  being  expressed  in  any  gen- 
eral formulae.  Hence,  the  professional  teach- 
ing of  the  game,  which  Hoyle  boldly  under- 
took, became  a  very  formidable  thing. 

He  was  a  clever  man,  and  no  doubt  thought 
well  out  the  mode  of  conveying  his  instruc- 
tions ;  and  he  decided  that  it  could  better 
be  given  personally,  than  by  writings.  By 
this  means,  adopting  the  educational  system 
known  as  ''  object  lessons,"  he  could  give  pref- 
erence to  example  over  precept,  and  could 
show  practical  illustrations  of  the  various 
novel  points  he  had  introduced,  rather  than 
offer  verbal  statements  of  them.  It  would  be 
intensely  interesting  if  we  could  get  any  au- 
thentic descriptions  of  his  lessons,  but  none 
such  have  been  preserved. 

Fortunately,  however,  we  have  some  sort 
of  indication  of  his  system  of  procedure.  He 
found  that  his  pupils  had  (very  naturally) 
a  difficult}-  in  recollecting  the  specific  di- 
rections he  gave  them ;  and  to  aid  their 
memory  he  wrote  out  a  series  of  notes  or 
memoranda.  These,  as  we  have  already 
stated  [Ante  page  37),  were  ultimately  print- 


THE    HOYLE    GAME  5/ 

ed,  and   so   they   have   come   down   to    our 
day. 

We  may  give  some  little  account  of  the 
book  thus  presented  to  us,  which  contains  all 
that  we  know,  from  his  own  hand,  of  the  sys- 
tem adopted  in  his  teaching-. 

The  books  now  sold  as  ''  Hoyle's  Games" 
have  been  so  "  improved  "  (as  the  title  page 
states)  that  we  cannot  take  them  as  giving 
much  representation  of  what  we  have  here 
to  describe ;  but  we  have  been  favoured  by 
*'  Cavendish,"  with  the  loan  of  a  rare  copy  of 
the  real  work,  published  in  1746,  and  authen- 
ticated by  Hoyle's  autograph  signature,  from 
which  we  may  give  a  few  data. 

It  is  a  duodecimo,  6^  inches  by  4,  of  80 
pages,  and  the  full  title  is  as  follows  : 


A  Short  Treatise  on  the  Game  of  WHIST,  contain- 
ing the  Laws  of  the  Game,  and  also  some  Rules,  where- 
by a  beginner  may,  with  due  attention  to  them,  attain  to 
the  Playing  it  well. 

Calculations  for  those  who  will  bet  the  odds  on  any 
points  of  the  score  of  the  game  then  playing  and  depend- 
ing. 

Cases  stated,  to  show  what  may  be  effected,  by  a  very 
good  Player,  in  critical  Parts  of  the  Game. 

References  to  Cases,  viz.,  at  the  end  of  the  rule 
you  are  directed  how  to  find  them. 

Calculations  directing  with  moral  certainty  how  to 


58  THE   ERA    OF   HOYLE 

play  well  any  hand  or  game  by  showing  the  chances  of 
your  Partner's  having  i,  2,  or  3  certain  cards. 
With  variety  of  Cases  added  in  the  Appendix. 

By  Edmond  Hoyle,  Gent. 

With  great  additions  to  the  Laws  of  the  Game,  and  an 
Explanation  of  the  Calculations  which  are  necessary  to  be 
understood  by  those  who  would  play  it  well. 

And  also,  never  before  published,  a  Dictionary  for 
Whist  which  resolves  almost  all  the  critical  cases  that 
may  happen  at  the  Game. 

To  which  is  added  : 

An  Artificial  Memory,  or  an  easy  method  of  assist- 
ing the  memory  of  those  that  play  at  the  game  of  Whist. 

And  several  Cases  not  hitherto  published. 

London. 

Printed  for  T,  Osborne  at  Gray's  Inn  ;  T.  Hillyard  at 
York ;  M.  Bryson  at  Newcastle  ;  and  T.  Leake  at  Bath. 
MDCCXLVL 

Price  One  Shilling. 

At  the  back  of  the  Title  Page  is  a  warning 
against  piracies,  after  which  comes  the  fol- 
lowing Address. 

To  the  Reader. 

The  author  of  the  following  Treatise  has  thought  proper 
to  give  the  Publick  Notice  that  he  has  reduced  the  price 
of  it,  that  it  may  not  be  worth  any  person's  while  to  pur- 
chase the  Pirated  Editions  which  have  already  been  ob- 
truded on  the  World ;  as  likewise  all  those  Piratical  Edi- 
tions are  extremely  incorrect ;  and  that  he  will  not  under- 


THE   HOYLE   GAME  $9 

take  to  explain  any  case  but  in  such  copies  as  have  been 
set  forth  by  himself,  or  that  are  Authorized  as  Revised 
and  Corrected  under  his  own  hand. 

(Here  follows  the  autograph  signature.) 

Edaiond  Hoyle. 

Another  notice  contains  the  following-  little 
matter  of  business. 

He  has  also  framed  an  Artificial  Memory  which  does 
not  take  off  your  attention  from  your  game  ;  and  if  re- 
quired, he  is  ready  to  communicate  it  upon  payment  of 
one  guinea.  And  also  he  will  explain  any  cases  in  the 
book,  upon  payment  of  one  guinea  more. 

Then  follow  some  preliminary  calculations 
"  necessary  to  be  understood  by  those  who 
are  to  read  the  Treatise  " — and  some  com- 
putations "  for  laying  of  your  money  ;  " — after 
which  the  real  book  begins  with  a  statement 
of  the  Laius.  These  are  twenty-four  in  num- 
ber, but  they  differ  materially  from  those  in 
the  modern  editions.^ 


1  The  modern  copies  contain  preliminary  matter  of  the  "im- 
prover's "  own,  followed  by  "  Twenty-four  short  Rules  for  Learn- 
ers," taken  from  a  little  book  published  at  Bath  in  1793,  called 
"  Hoyle  abridged,  or  Short  Rules  for  Short  Memories  at  the 
Game  of  Whist,  adapted  either  for  the  head  or  pocket.  By  Bob 
Short."  Hoyle's  more  important  teaching  matter  is  essentially 
reproduced,  but  with  considerable  alterations  of  the  wording, 
mostly  quite  arbitrary  and  unnecessary.  The  division  into  chap- 
ters is  also  abandoned,  which  makes  the  book  appear  still  more 
confused  and  unmethodical. 


60  THE   ERA    OF    HOYLE 

The  teaching  part  of  the  book,  which  then 
follows,  is  divided  into  fifteen  chapters.  The 
first  consists  of  "  Some  General  Rules  to  be 
observed  by  Beginners  ; "  these  are  thirty- 
seven  in  number,  the  last  seventeen  directing 
the  most  advisable  trump  leads  from  various 
combinations  in  the  hand  ;  and  Chapter  II. 
adds  eight  "  particular  cases,"  in  which  a 
trump  lead  is  advisable.  The  eleven  follow- 
ing chapters  consist  almost  entirely  of  exam- 
ples of  special  cases  or  situations,  in  which  cer- 
tain advantageous  modes  of  play  are  shown 
and  explained.  In  Chapter  XIV.  are  given 
further  explanations  concerning  the  play  of 
sequences,  etc.,  which  Avere  desired  "  by  some 
purchasers  of  the  Treatise  in  Manuscript,  dis- 
posed of  last  winter,"  to  which  are  made  two 
additions.  First,  "  A  Dictionary  [Catechism] 
for  Whist,  which  resolves  almost  all  the  crit- 
ical cases  that  may  happen  at  that  game,"  by 
way  of  Question  and  Answer.     For  example  : 

Ones.  How  to  play  [lead]  sequences  when  trumps? 

A/is.  You  are  to  begin  with  the  highest  of  them. 

Qi/cs.  How  to  play  sequences  when  they  are  not 
trumps  ? 

A;is.  If  you  have  five  in  number  you  are  to  begin  with 
the  lowest ;  if  three  or  four  in  number  always  play  the 
highest. 

Ques.  When  ought  you  to  make  tricks  early  ? 

Apis.  When  you  are  weak  in  trumps. 


THE   HOYLE    GAME  6 1 

The  second  addition  is  ''  An  explanation, 
for  the  use  of  beginners,  of  Terms  or  Tech- 
nical Words." 

Chapter  XV.  contains  the  "  Artificial  Mem- 
ory," being  rules  for  sorting  and  placing  the 
cards  in  your  hand,  so  as  to  remind  3^ou  of 
the  trump  suit ;  the  turn-up  card  ;  the  best 
or  second-best  cards  remaining  of  a  suit ; 
your  partner's  first  lead,  and  so  on.  And 
some  Additional  Cases  form  the  Conclusion. 

The  book  fulh^  confirms  the  tradition,  that 
Hoyle's  mode  of  teaching  was  by  exam- 
ples rather  than  by  principles ;  and  one 
can  clearly  see  that  it  has  been  put  together 
piecemeal  at  different  times,  to  serve  as 
memoranda,  to  aid  the  pupils  in  recollecting 
the  advice  and  suggestions  personally  given 
them.  In  this  way  it  has  happened  that  the 
teaching  contained  in  the  book  seems  dis- 
jointed and  unsystematic.  But  it  would  be  a 
great  mistake  to  undervalue  the  author's 
work  on  this  account;  for  the  great  popu- 
larity and  success  of  his  teaching  form  the 
best  testimony  to  its  efficiency. 

In  the  volume  we  have  been  quoting  from 
there  are  also  bound  up  other  Treatises  by 
Hoyle,  of  about  the  same  date,  on  the  games 
of  Quadrille,  Piquet,  Chess,  and  Backgam- 
mon; and  these  have  been  also  included, 
with    much   other   matter,   in   the    imperfect 


62  THE   ERA    OF   HOYLE 

compilations  now  sold  as  ''  Hoyle's  Games." 
It  is  a  marvel,  considering  the  immense  pop- 
ularity of  Whist,  and  the  transcendent  merit 
of  Hoyle's  Avork  in  regard  to  it,  that  no 
good  republication  of  his  book  has  ever  been 
produced.  Even  now,  with  all  the  modern 
Whist  literature  before  us,  one  would  think 
that  such  a  republication,  not  altered  or  ''im- 
proved," but  intelligently  annotated,  would 
be  an  acceptable  thing  to  earnest  students  of 
the  game. 

Hoyle's  book  was  followed,  as  we  have 
said,  by  the  ''  Maxims  "  of  Payne.  The  object 
of  these  was  very  laudable ;  the  author  saw 
the  want  of  arrangement  in  Hoyle's  book, 
and  he  was  the  first  to  do  two  very  impor- 
tant things,  namel}^,  in  the  first  place,  to 
arrange  the  Rules  or  Maxims  under  their 
proper  heads — as  "  Leader,"  "  Second  Hand," 
''  Leading  Trumps,"  and  so  on  ;  and,  secondly, 
to  add  to  each  rule  a  statement  of  its  reason 
or  justification,  which  was  printed  in  different 
type. 

A  few  examples  will  show  the  nature  and 
merits  of  Paj^ne's  work. 

LEADER. 

"  Begin  with  the  suit  of  which  you  have  most  in  number. 
For  when  the  trumps  are  out  you  will  probably  make 
several  tricks  in  it. 


THE   HOYLE   GAME  6^ 

"  Sequences  are  always  eligible  leads.  As  supporting 
your  partner  without  i7ijuring  your  ow7i  hand. 

"  Having-  King,  Knave  and  ten,  lead  the  ten.  For  if  your 
partner  holds  the  Ace  you  have  a  good  chance  to  make 
three  tricks  whether  he  passes  the  teii  or  ?tot. 

SECOND    HAND. 

"  Having  Ace,  Queen  and  small  cards,  play  a  small  one. 
For  upon  the  return  of  the  suit  you  will  probably  inake 
two  tricks. 

"  Having  Queen,  ten,  and  small  ones,  play  a  small  one. 
For  your  partner  has  an  equal  chance  to  wi?i. 

THIRD    HAND. 

"  Having  Ace  and  Knave,  play  the  Ace  and  return  the 
Knave.     /;/  order  to  strengthen  your  partner  s  ha?id. 

LEADING   TRUMPS. 

"  Lead  trumps  from  a  strong  hand,  but  never  from  a  weak 
one.  By  which  means  you  zvill  secure  your  good  cards 
from  being  trumped. 

PLAYING    FOR   THE   ODD    TRICK. 

"  Be  cautious  of  trumping  out  {^i.c.,  drawing  the  trumps] 
notwithstanding  you  have  a  good  hand.  For  since  you 
want  the  odd  trick  only,  it  would  be  absurd  to  play  a 
great  game.'' 

The  Book  of  Matthews,  who  followed 
Hoyle  and  Payne,  marks  a  considerable  fur- 
ther advance.  The  new  game  had  then 
been  much  played,  for  the  author  begins  by 
saying : 

"  It  is  a  fact  of  general  notoriety,  that  notwithstanding 
the  numerous  theories  published,  and  the  almost  universal 


64  THE   ERA    OF   HOYLE 

practice  of  a  science,  where  profit  and  amusement  may  be 
combined,  a  capital  Whist  player  is  scarcely  ever,  and 
even  what  may  be  termed  a  good  one,  but  rarely  met 
with." 

The  book  shows  much  careful  thought, 
particularly  in  regard  to  elementary  knowl- 
edge. It  defines  Whist  as  "a  game  of  Calcu- 
lation, Observation,  and  Position  or  Tenace^ 

Calculation,  he  says,  teaches  you  to  plan 
your  game,  and  lead  originally  to  advan- 
tage ;  and  some  simple  examples  are  given 
to  show  how  the  calculation  of  probabilities 
may  guide  early  leads  while  the  other  hands 
are  unknown. 

After  a  few  leads  have  taken  place  this  is 
nearly  superseded  by  Observation,  as  the  au- 
thor points  out  that  good  players,  who  ob- 
serve and  note  well  the  fall  of  the  cards,  may, 
before  half  the  tricks  are  played,  become  ''  as 
Avell  acquainted  with  the  material  ones  re- 
maining in  each  other's  hands  as  if  they  had 
seen  them." 

These  two  elements,  he  savs,  "  may  be 
called  the  foundation  of  the  game,  and  are  so 
merely  mechanical,  that  any  one  possessed 
of  a  tolerable  memory  may  attain  them." 

After  which,  continues  the  author,  comes 
the  more  difficult  science  of  Position,  or  the 
art  of  using  the  two  former  to  advantage  ; 
without  which   it  is  self-evident,  they  are  of 


THE   HOYLE   GAME  6$ 

no  use.  Attentive  study  and  practice  will, 
in  some  degree,  ensure  success  ;  but  genius 
must  be  added  before  the  whole  finesse  of 
the  game  can  be  acquired.  However,  "  Est 
qiiiddam  prodirc  tcnus,  si  non  datur  nltray  ''  It 
is  something  to  advance  to  a  certain  point,  if 
you  cannot  go  farther." 

This  opinion,  at  such  an  early  time,  of  the 
necessity  of  special  mental  gifts  to  make  a 
first-rate  player,  is  very  noteworthy;  and 
shows  a  remarkable  insight  into  the  nature 
of  Whist.  It  is  more  applicable  now  than  it 
was  then,  as  the  game  has  become  more  in- 
tricate. 

The  body  of  Matthews's  book  consists  of 
"  Directions  and  Maxims  for  beginners." 
These  are  one  hundred  and  nine  in  num- 
ber, and  are  heterogeneously  disposed,  with- 
out any  sub-headings ;  a  defect  which  dimin- 
ishes their  usefulness,  and  increases  the  dif- 
ficulty of  profiting  by  them.  They  are,  how- 
ever, generally,  very  good  ;  some  have  been 
altered  or  abolished  by  the  subsequent 
march  of  Evolution,  but  most  of  them  are  as 
applicable  to  the  modern  form  of  game,  as 
to  the  one  they  belong  to.  There  are  among 
them  some  rather  elaborate  examples  of  sit- 
uations, like  those  given  by  Hoyle. 

We  may  quote  a  few  of  the  Maxims  to  give 
an  idea  of  their  general  nature. 
5 


66  THE   ERA    OF   HOYLE 

"  Study  all  written  maxims  with  the  cards  placed  before 
you,  in  the  situations  mentioned  ;  abstract  directions  puz- 
zle much  oftener  than  they  assist  the  beginner. 

"  Never  lead  a  card  without  a  reason,  though  a  wrong 
one  ;  it  is  better  than  accustoming  yourself  to  play  at  ran- 
dom. 

"  The  more  plainly  you  demonstrate  your  hand  to  your 
partner  the  better.  Be  particularly  cautious  not  to  deceive 
him  in  his  or  your  own  leads  [suits]. 

"  Be  as  careful  of  what  you  throw  away  as  what  you 
lead. 

"  Never  ruff  an  uncertain  card,  if  strong,  or  omit  doing 
so  if  w^eak  in  trumps. 

"  When  with  a  very  strong  suit,  you  lead  trumps  in  hope 
your  partner  may  command  them,  shew  your  suit  first. 

"If  you  win  your  partner's  lead  with  the  queen  (unless 
in  trumps)  do  not  return  it ;  it  is  evident  the  ace  or  king  lies 
behind  him. 

"  Should  your  partner  refuse  to  trump  a  certain  winning 
card,  try  to  get  the  lead  as  soon  as  you  can,  and  play  out 
trumps  immediately. 

"  If  weak  in  trumps,  keep  guard  on  your  adversaries' 
suits.     If  strong,  throw  away  from  them. 

"  Finesses  are  generally  right  in  trumps,  or,  if  strong  in 
trumps,  in  other  suits ;  otherwise  they  are  not  to  be  risked 
but  with  caution."  ' 

In  describing  this  form  of  game  we  must 
not  omit  to  notice  the  attention  which  Hoyie 
paid  to  the  Calculations  of  Probabilities,  as  af- 

1  In  an  article  on  "Whist  "  by  the  author  of  this  work,  pub- 
lished in  "The  Handbook  of  Games,"  by  Messrs.  George  Bell 
&  Sons,  1891,  he  has  endeavoured  to  make  prominent  the  great 
merits  of  Hoyle,  Payne,  and  Matthews,  particularly  the  former, 
in  developing  this  stage  of  Whist. 


THE   HOYLE    GAME  6/ 

fecting  the  rules  of  play.  He  laid  stress  on 
them  in  his  book  in  many  places,  as  dictating 
the  modes  of  action,  and  gave,  in  his  treatise, 
a  series  of  calculations  and  their  results. 
The  frequent  allusions  to  the  subject  in 
contemporary  publications  (see,  for  example, 
the  extract  from  the  ''  Humours  of  Whist," 
on  page  40),  show  that  it  was  included  in 
his  teaching. 

Indeed,  such  was  his  earnestness  about  it 
that  he  wrote  a  separate  book  entitled 

"  An  Essay  towards  making  the  Doctrine  of  Chances 
easy  to  those  who  understand  vulgar  Arithmetic." 

The  problems  for  Whist  contained  in  this 
book  are,  however,  but  few  and  simple,  and 
it  is  probable  that  he  found  the  subject  too 
abstruse  for  his  pupils  generally. 

Matthews,  also,  mentioned  the  calculation 
of  Probabilities  as  useful  in  guiding  early 
leads,  but  he  did  not  follow  out  the  subject 
in  detail ;  and  it  would  appear  that  this  ele- 
ment of  Whist  afterwards  became  neglected, 
till  it  \vas  revived  man}^  years  later  in  the 
Philosophical  Game. 

The  legacy  left  to  us  by  Hoyle  and  his 
two  successors  presents  the  great  essential 
features  of  THE  Game  of  Whist  as  played 
ever  since,  subject  only,  in  later  stages  of  the 


6S  THE   ERA   OF   HOYLE 

Evolution,  to  the  more  perfect  definition  and 
establishment  of  its  fundamental  principles, 
and  to  certain  improvements  in  detail  conse- 
quent thereon. 

This  game  gives  great  scope  to  personal 
skill,  which  indeed  is  its  main  characteristic 
and  its  chief  requirement,  as  it  depends  chief- 
ly on  personal  skill  for  its  successful  prac- 
tice. It  embodies  no  enunciation  of  any  gen- 
eral system  of  play,  or  of  any  fundamental 
guiding  principles  ;  attention  is  directed  to 
a  great  varietj'  of  isolated  occurrences  that 
may  be  met  with,  and  advice  is  given  as  to 
Avhat  should  or  may  be  done  in  each  case  ; 
so  that  the  player,  keeping  these  examples  in 
mind,  may  use  his  own  discretion  in  their 
application  when  analogous  cases  arise.  And 
by  frequent  practice  the  power  becomes  ma- 
tured of  dealing  successfully,  and  often  bril- 
liantly, with  the  many  chance  combinations 
that  may  present  themselves  in  the  course  of 
play. 

For  this  reason,  the  Hoyle  game  has  al- 
ways been  peculiarly  acceptable  to  intelli- 
gent and  clever  players,  as  giving  them  an 
opportunity  of  exercising  their  powers  and 
of  profiting  by  them. 

It  may  be  said  to  have  prevailed  in  the 
best  Whist  circles  unchanged  for  more  than 
a    centurv    after   its   introduction.      And    al- 


THE   HOYLE   GAME  69 

though,  in  later  years,  the  progress  of  Whist 
Evolution  has  led  to  the  advances  which  we 
shall  have  immediately  to  mention,  it  still  re- 
tains a  large  hold  on  Whist  players,  and  is 
played  probably  more  than  any  of  the  later 
developments. 


PART   III 

THE    PHILOSOPHICAL    ERA 

From  a.d.   i860  Onwards 


CHAPTER    V 

HISTORY 
"  CAVENDISH  "    AND    CLAY 

The  next  great  step  in  the  Evolution  of 
Whist  consisted  of  the  more  modern  scientific 
determination  and  consolidation  of  the  Hoyle 
game;  the  establishment  of  its  theoretical 
principles,  and  some  alterations  in  the  details 
of  its  practical  structure  consequent  thereon. 
This  was  effected  between  i860  and  1870,  i.e., 
about  a  century  and  a  quarter  after  Hoyle's 
introduction  of  it;  and  we  mark  therein  a 
distinct  stage  of  progress,  as  establishing  for 
the  first  time  a  positive  theoretical  basis  for 
the  mode  of  play. 

Hitherto  the  directions  promulgated  by 
authors  and  teachers  were  disjointed  and 
desultory;  they  gave  large  license  to  the 
player,  depending  almost  entirely  on  his  per- 
sonal skill  for  their  efficiency ;  and,  moreover, 
they  were  difficult  to  learn  by  the  uninitiated. 
The  new  improvement,  by  establishing  a  def- 
inite  foundation   for   the    superstructure    of 


74  THE   PHILOSOPHICAL    ERA 

play,  brought  Whist  into  an  intelligible  sys- 
tem, easy  both  to  teach  and  to  learn,  and 
therefore  tended  to  spread  the  knowledge  of 
it  over  a  much  wider  popular  held. 

It  will  be  desirable  to  explain  how  this 
change  came  about.  We  have  in  the  last  chap- 
ter traced  the  history  of  Whist  to  the  early 
part  of  this  century,  when  Short  Whist  was 
introduced.  This  change  involved  no  material 
alteration  of  the  modes  of  play,  except  per- 
haps a  more  careful  attention  to  the  state  of 
"  the  score  ; "  but  it  induced  a  more  lively  in- 
terest in  the  game  generally,  which  led  ulti- 
mately to  considerable  advances  in  its  char- 
acter. It  became  more  played  by  persons  of 
high  intellect ;  and  hence  by  the  constant 
practice  of  adepts  in  the  highest  club  circles 
there  gradually  arose  many  improvements  in 
detail. 

But  nothing  had  been  done  to  reduce  these 
to  a  systematic  form,  or  to  make  them  gener- 
ally known.  The  secrets  of  these  improve- 
ments, so  far  as  they  differed  from  the  pre- 
cepts of  Hoyle,  Payne,  and  Matthews,  were 
confined  to  small  coteries  of  the  best  club 
players.  Fortunately,  however,  for  the  pub- 
lic interest  in  Whist,  a  circumstance  hap- 
pened somewhat  similar  to  that  which  gave 
rise  to  the  first  development  of  the  game  by 


HISTORY. — ''cavendish"  and  clay    75 

Hoyle.  About  1850  a  knot  of  young-  men  at 
Cambridge,  of  considerable  ability,  who  had 
at  first  taken  up  Whist  for  amusement,  found 
it  offer  such  a  field  for  intellectual  study,  that 
they  continued  its  practice  systematically, 
with  a  view  to  its  more  complete  scien- 
tific investigation.  After  leaving  the  Uni- 
versity a  few  years  later  they  continued  to 
meet  in  London,  with  some  additions  to  their 
number,  among  whom  was  a  brother  of  one 
of  the  original  body,  Mr.  Henry  Jones,  then 
a  medical  student  at  St.  Bartholomew's  Hos- 
pital. 

This  Little  Whist  School  set  to  work  to 
study  Whist  in  good  earnest.  When  four  of 
them  met,  they  used  to  play  every  hand 
through  to  the  end  for  the  sake  of  informa- 
tion, and  also  for  the  purpose  of  making  cal- 
culations on  the  results.  They  wrote  down 
the  particulars  of  all  interesting  hands,  and 
fully  discussed  them  among  themselves. 

They  had,  however,  great  advantages  in 
a  constant  access  to  the  principal  members  of 
the  Portland  Club,  which  had  long  been  the 
great  centre  of  Whist.  They  obtained  from 
that  body  the  results  of  their  most  advanced 
experience ;  and  any  points  of  difficulty  were 
written  down  and  submitted  to  the  late  James 
Clay,  M.P.,  a  member  of  the  club,  who  was 
then  acknowledged  as  the  first  Whist  player 


'jG  THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   ERA 

in  Europe.  The  little  body  held  together 
for  some  years,  during  which  they  investi- 
gated fully  all  the  points  of  practice  that  the 
club  players  had  arrived  at,  trying  great 
numbers  of  experiments  in  the  most  scientific 
way,  as  their  University  knowledge  dictated  ; 
and  they  arrived  at  many  trustworthy  con- 
clusions. 

A  great  mass  of  information  was  thus 
gained,  all  the  more  valuable  for  the  reason 
that  it  had  been  acquired  by  systematic  ex- 
periment and  philosophical  deduction,  in- 
stead of  by  inferences  (often  fallacious  and 
always  open  to  disturbing  causes)  from  the 
results  of  play.  All  this  information  was 
carefully  recorded  and  tabulated,  but  there 
was,  at  the  time,  no  intention  of  publish- 
ing it.^ 

About  i860  the  members  ceased  to  meet ; 
but  fortunately  the  manuscripts  in  which  the 
information  was  recorded,  and  which  Avere 
somewhat  voluminous,  were  preserved  by 
Mr.  Henry  Jones. 

Still  no  one  thought  of  making  any  of  these 
valuable  data  known ;  and  the  papers  might 

1  Further  particulars  as  to  this  part  of  the  history  will  be  found 
in  "  Harper's  Monthly  Magazine,"  New  York,  March,  1891 ;  also 
in  the  "  Whist  "  Journal,  Milwaukee,  October,  1893.  Many  of 
the  results  of  the  "  Little  Whist  School  "  are  mentioned  and  com- 
mented on  in  "  The  Philosophy  of  Whist. " 


HISTORY. — "  CAVENDISH  "    AND    CLAY      TJ 

never  have  seen  the  light  again  had  it  not 
been  for  an  accident,  in  which  the  author  of 
the  present  work  was  concerned.  He  had 
occasion  to  write  an  article  entitled  "  Games 
at  Cards  for  the  Coming  Winter,"  for  Mac- 
inillans  Magazine,  published  in  December, 
1861,  the  object  being  to  describe  the  three 
games  of  Piquet,  Quadrille,  and  Bezique  (the 
latter  being  then  unknown  in  this  country). 
In  writing  these  descriptions  he  found  it  con- 
venient to  illustrate  them  by  a  plan  which 
had  often  been  adopted  for  chess,  but  (as  he 
then  believed)  never  for  card  games ;  namely, 
by  giving  examples  of  games,  or  portions  of 
games,  with  explanatory  remarks,^  and  as  he 
had  found  reason  to  think  that  the  same  plan 
would  be  useful  for  Whist,  he  added  a  note  as 
follows : 

"  It  would  be  a  great  boon  if  some  good  authority  would 
publish  a  set  of  Model  Games  at  Whist,  with  explanatory 
remarks,  such  as  are  found  so  useful  in  Chess,  for  exam- 
ple." 

This  note  having  caught  the  eye  of  Mr. 
Henry  Jones,  he  wrote  to  the  author,  commu- 
nicating the  fact  of  his  possessing  the  store 
of  notes  of  the  Little  School,  from  which  he 
conceived  some  such  model  games  might  be 
prepared.    This  led  to  many  communications 

^  See  Appendix  A. 


78  THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   ERA 

and  discussions,  the  result  of  which  was 
that  Mr.  Jones  was  induced  to  publish,  about 
the  middle  of  1862,  a  little  book  with  the  fol- 
lowing title  : 

"  The  Principles  of  Whist  stated  and  explained,  and  the 
Practice  illustrated  on  an  Original  System,  by  means  of 
Hands  played  completely  through.  By  '  Cavendish,' 
London,  Banks  Brothers,  20  Piccadilly." 

This  book  contained  an  exposition  of  the 
chief  points  of  improvement  which  had  been 
brought  out  since  Matthews,  and  the  novelty 
of  the  illustrations  soon  gave  it  a  consider- 
able reputation. 

Two  years  afterwards  appeared  another 
most  valuable  work.  Mr.  Clay  had  been 
much  interested  in  the  discussions  on  Whist 
which  had  been  carried  on  for  some  years, 
with  very  frequent  reference  to  him  ;  and  he 
took  advantage  of  a  publication  by  Mr.  J. 
Loraine  Baldwin,  promulgating  the  new 
Code  of  Laws,  to  append  to  it  ''  A  Treatise 
on  Short  Whist."  This  was  a  most  able  dis- 
sertation on  the  more  refined  points  of  the 
best  modern  play,  by  one  of  the  very  best 
modern  players. 

These  two  works  now  made  public  the 
chief  improvements  which  had  resulted  from 


HISTORY. — "  CAVENDISH  "   AND    CLAY      79 

the  scientific  investigations,  and  the  long 
practice,  of  the  greatest  minds  that,  since 
Deschapelles,  had  been  brought  to  bear  on 
the  subject,  and  they  embodied  most  admira- 
ble,  ingenious,  and    authoritative  modes   of 

play. 

But  still  there  was  something  wanting. 
"  Cavendish,"  in  addition  to  the  examples 
which  formed  the  chief  raison  d'etre  of  his 
book,  had,  in  order  to  avoid  repetition, 
erected  some  of  the  instructions  into  "  prin- 
ciples," to  which  he  referred  as  occasion  re- 
quired ;  and  he  also  added  a  few  elementary 
reasons  for  each  line  of  play.  But  still  the 
directions  were  isolated  and  heterogeneous ; 
there  was  no  general  cohesion  ;  no  pervad- 
ing element ;  no  binding  thread  running 
through  the  whole. 

Here  the  author  of  the  present  work  had 
the  good  fortune  to  be  of  some  use  again. 
He  had  had  the  privilege  of  much  communi- 
tion  with  ''  Cavendish,"  had  followed  with 
great  interest  the  revelations  of  this  author 
and  Mr.  Clay,  and  had  been  much  impressed 
by  the  developments  made  to  Hoyle's  game. 
And  the  ensemble  of  the  whole  joint  body  of 
rules  and  directions  seemed  to  him  so  con- 
sistent and  logical,  that  his  scientific  training 
led  him  to  speculate  whether  it  might  not  be 
possible  to  ti"ace  therein  a  deeper-lying  ori- 


80  THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   ERA 

gin  than  even  the  originators  of  the  new 
rules  had  suspected.  They  had  been  led  to 
certain  modes  of  play  by  acute  observation 
and  long  experience  ;  but  it  did  not  occur  to 
them  that  they  had  been  insensibly  deriving 
these  results  from  a  fundamental  principle  of 
action. 

The  author,  therefore,  studied  carefully 
the  whole  programme  of  the  play,  particu- 
larly the  more  modern  introductions  and  va- 
riations, and  he  found  that  these  gave  un- 
deniable evidence  of  a  tendency  towards  a 
single  great  principle  ;  namely,  tJie  more  pei^- 
fect  cult  hat  ion  than  formerly  of  the  relations 
betzveen  the  partners,  so  as  to  effect  as  far  as 
possible  a  eomhination  of  the  Jiands,  under  the 
joint  efforts  of  the  partners  to  aid  each  other 
in  the  most  effectual  way. 

Under  the  impression  that  the  publication 
of  this  discovery  would  not  only  be  interests 
ing  to  accomplished  Whist  players,  but  would 
be  more  especially  useful  as  an  aid  to  Whist 
education,  he  wrote  an  Essay  ''  On  the  Theory 
of  the  Modern  Scientific  Game  of  Whist.  By 
a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society."  It  was  first 
published  in  December,  1864,  as  accompany- 
ing a  new  edition  of  an  old  work,  but  it  was 
republished  separately  by  Messrs.  Longman 
with  the  author's  name,  in  February,  1870, 
and  the  enormous  circulation  it  has  since  had 


HISTORY. — "  CAVENDISH  "   AND    CLAY      8 1 

(partly  in  England  but  much  more  in  Amer- 
ica), may  probably  be  held  to  justify  its  men- 
tion here. 

About  1869  the  same  writer  was  induced 
(on  suggestions  given  him  by  ''  Cavendish  " 
and  by  his  old  friend  Mr.  G.  P.  Bidder,  the 
well-known  calculator),  to  turn  his  attention 
to  the  Calculation  of  Probabilities  as  affecting 
Whist  and  other  card  games.  This  subject 
had  been  studied  (see  pp.  (^(),  6^)  by  Hoyle  and 
Matthews ;  but  had  been  since  quite  neglect- 
ed. He  wrote  many  articles  in  the  Field,  and 
finding  them  remarkably  confirmatory  of  the 
ideas  he  had  previously  made  known  as  to 
the  scientific  foundation  of  the  modern  form 
of  the  game,  he  afterward  published  them  in 
a  work  entitled  ''  The  Philosophy  of  Whist. 
An  Essay  on  the  Scientific  and  Intellectual 
aspects  of  the  Modern  Game."  (De  la  Rue  & 
Co.  1883.) 

It  is  right,  however,  to  say  that  the  idea  of 
the  great  advantage  of  the  combination  of 
the  hands  of  the  two  partners  was  not  alto- 
gether new. 

The  first  time  such  an  idea  was  broached 
was  in  a  little  book  by  a  French  Noble- 
man, published  in  Paris,  with  the  following 
title  : 

6 


82  THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   ERA 

"  Genie  du   Whist,  meconnu  jusqu'a  present,  quoique 
joue  avec  une  espece  de  fureur  par  toute  I'Eui  ope.      Avec 
ses  explications,  et  des  maximes  certaines  pour  gagner. 
Par  le  General  Baron  de  Vautre. 
Paris.     Ledoyers,  Libraire,  Palais  Royal,  31,  Galerie 
d'Orleans." 

The  copy  we  have  is  the  fourth  edition, 
1847.  It  does  not  state  when  the  book  orig- 
inally appeared,  but  we  find  it  quoted  as  a 
work  well  known  in  1843.  The  Author  says 
in  his  Preface: 

"  The  genius  of  whist  has  been  misunderstood  even  by 
its  inventor,  who  has  established  nothing  beyond  the  laws 
and  the  course  of  play  {les  7'eglcs  et  la  marc/ie)  ;  and  the 
numerous  commentators  who  have  written  on  the  game 
have  added  nothing,  because  they  have  not  thoroughly 
appreciated  it." 

"  A  constant  experience  of  more  than  twenty  years,  the 
results  of  which  have  been  noted  down  consecutively 
month  by  month,  has  led  the  author  to  publish  his  maxims, 
which  change  the  old  ideas  and  the  old  method  now  prac- 
tised." 

"  The  clear  explanations  which  the  author  of  this  little 
book  presents,  and  the  rules  which  he  lays  down,  will  give 
the  certainty  of  winning  every  month,  without  exception, 
to  the  player  who  will  learn  how  to  practise  them." 

"  T/ie  author  teaches  the  mode  of  playing  with  twenty- 
six  ca7'ds  (as  he  expresses  it),  and  not  with  thirteen,  like 
all  the  rest  of  the  world." 

We  do  not  know  what  influence  this  publi- 
cation may  have  had  in  France  ;  but  we  find 
that  there  were  published,  about   1854,  a  set 


HISTORY.—''  CAVENDISH  "    AND    CLAY      83 

of  Whist  Rules  in  verse,  entitled,  Principes 
gene'raux  dtt  Jeit  de  WJiist.  The  second  of 
these  is  as  follows  : 

"  Montrez  au  partenaire  en  quoi  vous  etes  fort, 
Et  mariez  vos  jeux  d'un  mutuel  accord." 

This  would  at  any  rate  give  us  to  believe 
that  the  idea  in  question  was  a  matter  of  pop- 
ular knowledge.  And  as  these  lines  are  said 
to  have  been  written  by  ''  Un  General  d'Ar- 
tillerie,"  it  is  quite  possible  that  the  two  com- 
positions may  have  proceeded  from  the  same 
hand. 

But  the  idea  seems  not  to  have  been  con- 
fined to  France  ;  it  spread  to  more  distant 
parts  of  Europe,  for  it  was  taken  up  in  Vi- 
enna ;  and  we  find  it  repeated  with  much  im- 
provement and  elaboration  in  a  work  entitled 

"  Das  rationelle  Whist ;  oder  das  Whist-spiel  mit  alien 
seinen  Abarten,  vollstandig  aus  einem  Princip  nach  der 
philosophischen  und  der  mathematischen  Wahrschein- 
lichkeit  entwickelt  und  erhartet. 

"  Nebst  einem  leicht  fasslichen  philosophischen  Versuch 
iiber  die  mathematische  Wahrscheinlichkeit  dieses  Spiels. 

"  Vom  Ritter  Ludwig  von  Coeckelbergle  -  Diitzele. 
Wien,  1843." 

This  is  a  most  remarkable  book,  and  may 
be  pronounced  a  very  high  class  work  on  the 


84  THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   ERA 

game,  in  an  intellectual  point  of  view.  The 
motto,  taken  from  Schiller  : 

"  Den  lauten  Markt  mag  Momus  unterhalten 
Ein  edler  Sinn  liebt  ediere  Gestalten," 

and  an  exhortation  introduced  elsewhere, 

"  Que  le  Whist  soit  un  jeii,  et  non  pas  un  jouet," 

show  the  author's  high  estimation  of  the 
game.     And  a  quotation  from  Virgil, 

"  Felix  qui  potuit  rerum  cognoscere  causas," 

explains  his  thorough  capability  of  describ- 
ing it. 

He  lays  great  stress  on  the  advantage  of 
combining  the  hands  of  the  two  partners, 
and  he  devotes  one  long  chapter  expressly 
to  what  he  calls  Verstdndigiingsspicl ;  i.e.,  the 
system  of  mutual  understanding  established 
between  the  partners  by  their  play. 

The  following  passage,  taken  from  this 
chapter,  gives  a  clear  idea  of  the  great  mod- 
ern principle  we  are  now  describing : 

"  In  order  to  make  the  best  and  most  advantageous  use 
of  vour  own  as  well  as  of  your  partner's  hand,  you  must 
endeavour  to  find  out  what  his  cards  are,  and  to  afford 
him  similar  information  as  to  your  own.  Both  these  ob- 
jects are  effected  by  what  is  called  the  la7igiiage  of  ihe 
cards  {Kartensprache),  or  the  art  of  signalling  {Signal- 
kimst).     The  cards  selected  to  be  played  serve,  by  their 


HISTORY. — "  CAVENDISH  "    AND    CLAY      85 

relative  values,  as  telegraphic  signs,  by  which  the  two 
partners  carry  on  a  reciprocal  communication,  and  convey 
indications  as  to  what  cards  they  hold,  as  well  as  sugges- 
tions of  their  respective  views  and  wishes.  By  this  means 
they  are  enabled  to  give  better  support  to  each  other,  to 
calculate  more  easily  the  chances  of  the  game,  and  to 
anticipate  more  correctly  the  effect  of  any  particular  play. 
"  The  conduct  of  your  hand  should  be  as  clear  as  pos- 
sible towards  your  partner,  but  towards  the  adversary 
it  may  be  equivocal  and  deceptive.  The  former  course 
should  be  usually  followed,  especially  when  the  chief  di- 
rection of  the  play  lies  with  yourself  or  your  partner  ;  the 
deceptive  practice  should  only  be  resorted  to  when  the 
adversaries  have  the  command,  or  when  it  is  obvious  that 
your  partner  is  thoroughly  weak,  and  that  your  informa- 
tion can  be  of  no  use  to  him.  In  general,  however,  false 
indications,  which  of  course  mislead  your  partner  as  well 
as  the  adversaries,  should  be  used  very  sparingly;  the 
most  advantageous  system  is  to  approach  as  nearly  as 
possible  to  the  ever-honest  dummy,  who  deceives  nobody, 
and  yet  in  the  long  run  proves  the  best  player." 

The  writer  of  this  work  was  an  Austrian 
nobleman,  of  a  family  eminent  for  their  liter- 
ary ability.  The  brother,  Ritter  Charles 
Coeckelberghle-DUtzele,  wrote  a  celebrated 
**  History  of  the  Austrian  Empire,"  in  five 
volumes,  which  was  published  by  the  same 
firm  as  the  Whist  book ;  namely,  C.  Ger- 
old's  Sohn.  It  is  believed  the  brothers 
wxre  both  Government  officials,  and  as  this 
period  included  the  mostactiv^e  period  of  life 
of  Prince   Metternich,  who  was   notoriously 


86  THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   ERA 

an  enthusiastic  Whist  player,  the  book  before 
us  may  be  supposed  to  be  the  outcome  of 
the  highest  intelligence  in  that  great  capital.^ 

But  these  promulgations  of  the  idea  of  co- 
operation produced  no  lasting  result,  and 
were  soon  forgotten.  The  reason  of  this  is 
now  obvious.  In  order  to  carr}^  the  idea  out 
into  practice  it  was  necessary  to  overhaul 
the  whole  body  of  rules ;  to  inquire  hoAV  they 
bore  on  the  proposed  plan,  and  if  they  were 
unfavourable,  to  see  whether  and  how  they 
could  be  altered  to  correspond  with  it,  with- 
out detriment  to  their  original  object.  This 
was  really  the  work  done  by  the  refined  club 
plaj^ers,  and  the  clever  Little  Whist  School, 
in  the  time  of  the  elaboration  of  the  system 
we  are  now  describing,  and  its  result  was 
what  we  have  already  told. 

The  new  form  of  game  soon  began  to  at- 
tract the  attention  of  the  intellectual  public, 
as  was  manifested  especially  by  extended  dis- 
cussions of  the  subject  in  some  of  the  best 
critical  periodicals. 

In  April,  1869,  there  appeared  in  Erasers 
Magazine  a  long  and  excellent  article  "  On 
Whist  and   Whist   Players  "    by  one   of   the 

1  It  is  right  to  say  that  this  book  only  became  known  to  the  au- 
thor in  1870  when  he  was  writing  the  article  in  the  Quarterly  Re- 
view. 


HISTORY.—"  CAVENDISH  "   AND    CLAY      8/ 

most  eminent  literary  men  of  the  day,  Abra- 
ham Hayward,  who  spoke  highly  of  the  new 
improvements ;  and  shortly  afterwards  the 
author  of  the  present  book  was  engaged  to 
write  a  full  description  of  the  Modern  Game 
for  the  Quarterly  Reviezu,  in  performing  which 
duty  he  had  the  kind  advice  and  assistance 
of  "  Cavendish  "  and  Mr.  Clay.  The  article, 
entitled  ''  Modern  Whist,"  appeared  in  the 
number  for  January,  1871,  and,  by  the  con- 
sent of  the  publisher,  has  been  used  freely  in 
the  present  work. 


THE    LAWS. 

About  the  middle  of  the  century  a  step 
was  taken  of  great  importance,  namely,  the 
amendment  and  public  establishment  of  the 
Laws  of  Whist.  This  was  due  to  the  energy 
of  a  well-known  club  player,  Mr.  John  Loraine 
Baldwin.  He  suggested  to  the  Hon.  George 
Anson  (one  of  the  most  accomplished  Whist 
players  of  the  da}^)  that  as  the  supremacy  of 
Short  Whist  had  become  an  acknowledged 
fact,  a  revision  and  reformation  of  the  laws 
would  confer  a  great  boon  on  Whist  players 
generally. 

Hoyle  had  originally  laid  down  a  set  of 
laws,  which,  considering  the  time  and  cir- 
cumstances,  were  very  sagacious  and  very 


88  THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   ERA 

creditable  to  him  ;  and  these  had  been  per- 
petuated, with  certain  slight  modifications, 
in  1760  by  the  members  of  White's  and  Saun- 
ders's chocolate  houses.  At  a  later  date, 
Deschapelles  added  an  elaborate  treatise  on 
the  principles  which  should  guide  Whist 
legislation.  But  there  was  no  satisfactory 
authorized  code,  and  the  consequence  was 
that  disputes  and  doubtful  points  were  con- 
stantly occurring,  which  had  to  be  referred 
to  the  most  esteemed  playei's  for  decision. 
Mr.  Baldwin  and  his  friend,  although  fully 
aware  that  a  more  satisfactory  and  authori- 
tative code  was  required,  were  also  conscious 
that,  in  persuading  the  Whist  world  to  adopt 
any  innovation  on  old  rules,  they  must  en- 
counter a  certain  amount  of  difficulty  and 
trouble,  with  a  xery  uncertain  chance  of  suc- 
cess. 

In  subsequent  years,  having  witnessed 
many  questionable  cases  which,  despite  the 
existence  of  Hoyle  and  other  authors,  were 
invariably  referred  to  the  Whist  players  of 
the  day,  Mr.  Baldwin  determined  to  make  an 
effort,  and  appeal  to  some  of  the  London 
clubs  for  their  assistance  and  support.  This 
w^as  willingly  granted,  and  in  Ma}',  1863, 
one  of  the  chief  Whist  clubs,  the  Arlingto7i 
(since  called  the  Turf)  Club,  appointed  a 
committee  of  nine  gentlemen,  with  the  late 


HISTORY. — "  CAVENDISH  "    AND    CLAY      89 

Mr.  Clay,  as  chairman,  to  co-operate  with  ^Ir. 
Baldwin  in  the  matter. 

The  committee  having  prepared  a  code, 
sent  it  to  the  other  most  important  Whist 
club,  the  Portland,  A  committee  of  that  club, 
presided  over  by  the  late  Mr.  H.  D.  Jones, 
carefully  considered  the  rules,  and  offered 
certain  suggestions,  which  were  agreed  to  by 
the  other  body  ;  and  on  April  30,  1864,  the 
code  was  formally  adopted  by  the  ArlingLon 
Club,  on  a  resolution  signed  by  the  Duke  of 
Beaufort,  the  chairman. 

The  code  was  immediately  published  as 
"  The  Laws  of  Short  Whist,  edited  by 
J.  L.  Baldwin;"  and  was  dedicated,  by  per- 
mission, to  His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince 
of  Wales.  It  was  at  once  adopted  by  the 
principal  clubs,  and  has  ever  since  been  the 
standard  authority  on  Whist  law  in  England. 

But  the  details  are  not  perfect,  as  cases  of 
doubt  often  arise ;  and  a  few  years  ago,  when 
the  American  Whist  League  was  established 
for  regulating  the  Whist  play  in  the  United 
States,  they  recognized  the  imperfections  of 
the  English  code,  and  devoted  much  atten- 
tion to  the  preparation  of  revised  Laws  suit- 
able to  their  mode  of  playing  the  game.  See 
Appendix  C. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE    PHILOSOPHICAL   GAME 

It  is  now  necessary  to  give  some  descrip- 
tion of  the  game  which  formed  this  stage  of 
the  Evolution  of  Whist,  and  which  may  be 
said  to  have  been  first  published  to  the  world 
between  i860  and  1870. 

The  basis  of  it  was,  as  has  been  stated,  the 
Game  of  Hoyle ;  and  it  contained  all  the  good 
features  of  the  latter ;  but  it  had  the  advan- 
tage over  it  of  a  systematic  consolidation  and 
reduction  to  philosophical  principles,  and 
of  some  general  improvements  consequent 
thereon. 

It  is  not  our  business  here  to  repeat  the 
detailed  rules  of  play,  for  which  the  well- 
known  text-books  of  the  time  must  be  re- 
ferred to ;  it  must  suffice  to  explain  the  chief 
principles  involved,  and  to  give  a  general  idea 
how  they  were  applied.  And  in  this  we  may 
be  guided  by  the  contemporary  account  in 
the  Quarterly  Revieiv  of  1871,  which  was  pre- 
pared for  a  similar  purpose. 


THE    PHILOSOPHICAL   GAME  9I 


FUNDAMENTAL     PRINCIPLES,      AND      GENERAL     VIEW 
OF    THEIR    APPLICATION. 

The  great  feature  of  this  form  of  the  game 
consists  in  the  more  perfect  cultivation,  than 
formerly,  of  the  relations  existing  between 
the  two  players  who  are  in  partnership  with 
each  other.  As  these  players  have  a  com- 
munity of  interests,  it  is  evidently  desirable 
that  they  should  act  in  conjunction.  If  the 
two  hands  could  be  put  together  and  played 
as  one,  great  advantage  would  clearly  result ; 
for  not  only  would  the  strong  points  of  each 
still  preserve  their  full  value,  but  special 
benefits  would  arise  from  the  combination  ; 
just  as  the  junction  and  co-operation  of  two 
divisions  of  an  army  would  give  more  power- 
ful results  than  could  be  obtained  by  their 
divided  action.  The  form  of  game  we  are 
now  describing  has  for  its  essence  the  more 
full  and  perfect  use  of  this  principle.  When 
you  look  at  your  hand  you  must  consider  it, 
not  as  an  individual  entity,  but  as  a  part  of  a 
combination,  to  the  joint  interests  of  which 
your  whole  play  must  conduce. 

It  might  be  supposed  that  as  the  partner- 
ship was  so  obvious,  the  combination  of  the 
hands  would  be  a  natural  consequence  (and 
indeed  a  distinct  notion  of  it  was  given  by 


92  THE    PHILOSOPHICAL   ERA 

the  Crown  Coffee  House  students),  but  it 
was  onh'  by  the  earnest  study  of  the  Club 
players  and  of  the  Little  School,  after  a  cen- 
tury and  a  quarter's  existence  of  the  simple 
Hoyle  Game,  that  the  combination  principle 
became  fully  established  and  applied.  It  was 
then  found  that  many  of  the  former  rules, 
though  properly  adapted  for  a  single  hand, 
did  not  lend  themselyes  thoroughly  to  the 
combination ;  and  the  chief  object  that  occu- 
pied the  improyers  was  to  examine  them 
completely,  and  so  to  treat  them  as  to  make 
the  combination  the  foundation  of  the  system, 
instead  of  a  mere  accident  of  play. 

We  haye  next  to  see  how  this  great  prin- 
ciple is  made  applicable.  In  the  first  place, 
in  order  that  the  combination  ma}^  be  prop- 
erly effected,  it  is  requisite  that  each  partner 
should  adopt  the  same  general  principle  of 
treating  his  hand ;  for  there  are  several  dif- 
ferent modes  of  trick-making,  according  to 
which  a  player  may  regulate  the  general  de- 
sign of  his  play.  These  haye  all  been  subject 
to  full  and  careful  discussion,  and  it  is  clearly 
demonstrable  that  the  only  sj^stem  which 
adapts  itself  fayourably  to  the  combination 
of  the  hands,  is  that  of  endeayouring  to  make 
tricks  by  ''  establishing  "  and  "  bringing  in  " 
a  lono;  suit.     This  was  one  of  the  deyices  well 


THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   GAME  93 

known  in  Hoyle's  Game,  but  was  only  subor- 
dinate in  general  play,  whereas  now  it  takes 
the  most  prominent  position. 

It  is  easy  to  trace  how  all  the  more  impor- 
tant rules  of  the  modern  game  arise  out  of 
this  principle.  Take  for  instance  the  manage- 
ment of  trumps,  which  was,  under  the  old 
forms,  a  great  stumbling-block  to  ill-educated 
players.  It  is  obvious  that  the  chief  obstacle 
to  making  long  suits  is  their  being  ruffed, 
and  that  the  advantage  will  be  with  that 
party  who,  having  predominant  numerical 
strength  in  trumps,  can  succeed  in  drawing 
those  of  the  adversaries.  Five  trumps  are 
generally  sufficient  for  the  purpose  ;  and 
hence  the  rule,  that  if  you  hold  this  number, 
or  more,  you  should  lead  them.  Three  or 
four  leads  will  usually  disarm  both  opponents, 
and  you  will  still  have  one  or  more  left  to 
bring  in  your  own  or  your  partner's  long  suit, 
and  to  stop  those  of  the  enemy.  So  impor- 
tant is  the  trump  lead  on  this  ground  that 
the  old-fashioned  objection  to  "  lead  up  to  an 
honour "  as  well  as  the  direction  to  "  lead 
through  an  honour,"  both  vanish  under  the 
Philosophical  system.  Either  is  right  if  you 
are  strong  in  trumps  ;  neither  if  otherwise. 

If  you  hold  only  four  trumps  the  case  is 
much  changed  by  your  smaller  preponder- 
ance ;    and    the    calculation    of    probabilities 


94  THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   ERA 

shows  a  much  diminished  chance  of  a  success- 
ful result.  It  is  usually  recommended  that 
you  should  not  lead  trumps  from  four  with- 
out having  a  plain  suit  established,  either  by 
yourself  or  your  partner. 

With  three  trumps  or  less,  which  is  nu- 
merical weakness,  a  trump  lead  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  hand  is  seldom  justifiable.  The 
normal  application  of  trumps  when  weak  is 
to  use  them  on  the  old  plan  for  ruffing,  if  they 
escape  being  drawn  by  the  adversary. 

It  is  imperative  that  your  trump  lead  be 
returned  by  your  partner  the  first  oppor- 
tunity. Hesitation  in  this  is  inexcusable,  as 
endangering  the  great  benefit  your  own 
strength  would  confer  on  the  combined 
hands. 

Several  minor  rules  in  regard  to  trumps 
are  deducible  from  the  same  principles.  For 
example,  it  is  very  disadvantageous  for  a 
strong  trump  hand  to  be  forced  to  ruff,  which 
wastes  its  strength  unworthily.  Hence  you 
must  avoid  forcing  your  partner  if,  being 
weak  yourself,  you  have  reason  to  suspect  he 
may  be  strong.  But  you  should  force  a 
strong  adverse  trump  hand  whenever  you 
can.  Again,  if  you  are  second  player  to  a 
trick  which  it  is  possible  your  partner  may 
win,  and  have  none  of  the  suit  yourself,  the 
new  principles  teach  you  to  ruff  fearlessly  if 


THE   THILOSOPHICAL   GAME  95 

weak  in  trumps,  but  to  pass  the  trick  if 
strong.  In  the  former  case  your  trumps  are 
useless  for  their  higher  object ;  in  the  latter 
they  are  too  valuable  to  risk  losing  unneces- 
sarily. 

When  we  come  to  the  play  of  plain  suits 
we  must  call  to  our  guidance  another  matter 
Avhich  has  formed  an  essential  element  in  the 
Philosophical  Game,  namely,  the  considera- 
tion of  Probability.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
hand  you  know  nothing  of  your  partner's 
cards,  and  your  earliest  lead  must  be  guided, 
not  only  by  the  cards  you  hold,  but  by  what 
will  most  probably  benefit  the  combination  with 
your  partner,  and  will  at  the  same  time  also 
be  the  least  likely  to  favour  your  opponents. 

Hoyle  had  penetration  enough  to  see  this, 
and  he  made  considerable  use  of  the  laws  of 
probability  in  his  teaching.  Matthews  also 
alluded  to  them,  as  has  been  stated  on  page 
(yj.  The  Vienna  book  mentioned  in  chapter 
V.  contained  a  fair  essay  on  the  subject;  but 
no  earnest  attention  was  given  to  it  in  this 
country  until  it  was  taken  up  b}^  the  author  of 
the  present  work,  who  in  1883  published  a 
Treatise  I  with  the  view  of  reviving  it.     The 

'  "  The  Philosophy  of  Whist,"'  De  hi  Rue  &  Co.  It  was  in 
this  book  that  the  term  "  Philosophical  Game  "  was  first  applied  to 
the  form  of  Whist  here  treated  of. 


96  THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   ERA 

following  short  extracts    may   illustrate  the 
views  there  taken. 

"  It  may,  perhaps,  be  thought  that  the  existence  of  the 
element  of  chance  to  such  a  large  extent  in  Whist  tends 
to  lower  its  intellectual  character,  as  compared  with  other 
games,  such  as  Chess,  which  engage  only  mental  skill. 
Elaborate  comparisons  have  been  made  of  the  interest 
offered  in  the  two  cases,  respectively,  but  the  nature  of 
the  mental  occupation  is  very  different,  and,  so  far  as  one 
can  judge  by  experience  and  observation,  no  such  inferi- 
ority exists.  The  element  of  chance,  so  far  from  standing 
in  the  way  of  intellectual  exercise,  is  what  chiefly  gives 
the  opportunity  for  it.  It  can  be  amply  shewn  that  the 
calculations,  provisions,  and  speculations  arising  out  of  the 
many  uncertainties  occurring  in  Whist  play,  furnish  the 
most  important  objects  for  scientific  investigation,  as  well 
as  the  best  inducements  for  the  application  of  personal 
judgment  and  skill. 

"In  reality  it  is  the  happy  combination  of  chance  and 
skill  that  makes  the  game  so  generally  attractive  and 
popular.  The  influence  of  chance  on  the  scoring  is  of 
two  kinds — partly  absolute  and  partly  dependent  on  the 
play.  In  the  case  of  honours  the  simple  possession  of 
certain  cards  counts  directly  towards  game,  but  the  result 
of  a  favourable  chance  distribution  of  cards  for  trick- 
making  is  largely  dependent  on  the  management  of  them. 
It  is  very  common  for  high  cards  to  be  lost,  and  it  is  one 
of  the  chief  efforts  of  good  players  to  make  low  cards 
win. 

"  At  the  commencement  of  a  hand  the  player  is  in  the 
difficult  position  that  he  is  in  entire  ignorance  of  what 
would  be  really  the  most  advantageous  thing  for  him  to 
do.  But  if  he  is  a  wise  man  he  will  not  act  at  random. 
Although  he  cannot  foresee  what  is  the  best  thing  to  be 


THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   GAME  9/ 

done,  he  may  at  least,  by  careful  consideration,  form  a 
judgment  of  what  may  probably  be  the  most  likely  course 
to  be  beneficial  to  himself  and  his  partner,  and  the  least 
likely  to  turn  to  the  advantage  of  the  adversaries.  This 
invocation  of  probability  as  a  guide  in  obscure  parts  of 
the  play  is  what  formed  the  great  merit  of  Hoyle's  teach- 
ing at  the  very  birth  of  intelligent  Whist,  and  it  is  what 
now  distinguishes  the  educated  systematic  player  from 
the  untaught  beginner,  or  the  more  presumptuous  (but  not 
less  ignorant)  pretender  who  glories  in  playing  accord- 
ing to  his  own  fancy."  ^ 

The  treatise  here  quoted  from  shows  how 
admirably  the  calculation  of  probabilities  fits 
in  with  the  combined  form  of  game ;  almost 
all  the  rules,  arrived  at  practically  by  the  im- 
provers, being  shown  to  be  consistent  with 
the  doctrine  of  chances,  as  determined  by 
philosophical  reasoning.  It  is  unnecessary 
here  to  go  further  into  this  matter ;  but  it  is 
a  very  desirable  study  for  all  who  would 
really  understand  the  principles  of  modern 
Whist  play. 

To  return  to  the  management  of  plain  suits. 
The  most  important  step  is  your  first  plain 
suit  lead  ;  and  here  the  doctrine  of  probabil- 
ities has  fully  established  the  system,  as  al- 
ready stated,  of  leading  from  the  longest  suit, 
which  fulfils  all  the  most  favourable  condi- 
tions.    It  is  a  lead  which,  even  in  ignorance 

'  Ibid.,  pages  3,  4,  11,  12. 
7 


98  THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   ERA 

of  the  partner's  cards,  may  be  reasonably  ex- 
pected to  benefit  the  combined  hands  and 
not  to  favour  the  adversaries ;  and  it  serves 
to  give  the  most  direct  and  useful  informa- 
tion to  the  partner  as  to  the  cards  held  by 
the  leader. 

The  question  wJiicli  card  of  your  long  suit 
you  should  first  lead  has  also  been  fully  in- 
vestigated. As  a  general  principle  it  is  ex- 
pedient to  begin  with  a  small  card,  which 
gives  your  partner  the  chance  of  making  the 
first  trick,  and  enables  you  to  keep  the  com- 
plete command  at  a  later  period.  But  when 
you  hold  several  high  cards  this  principle  is 
subject  to  modification  by  the  possibility  of 
the  suit  being  trumped,  and  by  some  other 
contingencies,  and  therefore  certain  definite 
leads  were  determined  for  particular  com- 
binations, of  which  the  following  were  the 
most  useful. 

FIRST    LEADS    FROM    A    LONG    PLAIN    SUIT 

{according  to  the  Philosophical  Game  1870). 


HOLDING. 

LEAD. 

Ace  and  King, 

King. 

King  and  Queen, 

King. 

Ace,  Queen,  Knave, 

Ace  then  Queen 

Queen,  Knave,  ten, 

Queen. 

King.  Knave,  ten, 

fen. 

THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   GAME  99 

All  these  were  dictated  by  special  motives, 
founded  on  the  general  principles  of  this  form 
of  game. 

The  combined  system  further  defines  the 
duty  of  your  partner  in  helping  you  in  regard 
to  your  long  suit.  In  addition  to  showing  you 
his  own,  it  is  his  duty  to  return  yours,  but 
much  depends  upon  what  card  he  plays.  In 
the  first  place  he  must  get  rid  of  the  com- 
mand, by  playing  out  the  master  cards  if  he 
holds  them  ;  for  it  is  essential  that  you  retain 
the  superiority.  Then,  secondly,  he  must 
adopt  what  is  called  "  strengthening  play," 
by  sacrificing  his  high  cards  in  the  suit  to 
strengthen  you.  Suppose,  for  example,  he 
had  originally  ace,  knave,  and  four,  and  has 
won  your  first  lead  with  the  ace  ;  he  must 
return  the  knave  and  not  the  four.  The  re- 
sult of  this  is  to  raise  the  effective  rank  of  any 
lower  cards  you  hold  in  the  suit,  and  to  aid 
in  getting  higher  ones  out  of  the  way,  so  as 
to  hasten  your  obtaining  the  complete  com- 
mand. 

So  much  for  the  lead  and  the  return  of  it. 
But  the  system  affects  also  the  other  players. 
In  the  older  game,  for  example,  the  second 
player  might  often  feel  at  liberty  to  put  on  a 
high  card  ;  but  by  the  newer  doctrine  he  is 
bound  generall}^  to  i)lay  his  lowest,  and  to  re- 
tain high  cards  which   may,  later  on,  block 


100  THE    PHILOSOPHICAL   ERA 

the  leader's  suit,  and  so  prevent  its  establish- 
ment. 

The  tliird  hand,  under  this  system,  is  for- 
bidden to  do  what  he  might  often  have  legit- 
imately done  before,  namely  finesse  (except 
with  ace  and  queen)  to  his  partner's  original 
lead  ;  as  the  high  cards  are  wanted  out  of 
the  wa}'. 

The  system  also  guides  the  discard,  which 
should  usually  be  made  from  short  or  weak 
suits,  not  from  long  ones.  The  cards  of  the 
former  are  of  little  use,  while  those  of  the 
latter  may  be  very  valuable,  even  to  the 
smallest  you  have. 

COMMUNICATION    BETWEEN    THE    PARTNERS. 

We  must  now  notice,  at  sonie  length,  what 
is  probably  the  most  important  element  in 
this  form  of  game,  namely,  the  modes  of  com- 
munication between  the  partners.  For  if  the 
two  hands  are  to  be  combined  and  plaj-ed  as 
one,  it  is  evident  that  the  partners  must  use 
every  legal  means  of  gaining  information  as 
to  the  contents  of  each  other's  hands.  Indeed, 
we  have  said  that  the  attainment  of  this  was 
the  great  object  aimed  at  in  the  elaboration 
of  the  game. 

In  the  ordinary  form  of  Whist,  each  player 
is  supposed  to  be  quite  ignorant  of  what  (bar- 


THE    PHILOSOPHICAL   GAME  lOI 

ring  the  turn-up-card)  the  three  other  hands 
contain  ;  and  ever  since  the  days  of  Hoyle  it 
has  been  one  of  the  chief  objects  of  the  skill 
and  intelligence  of  the  player  to  discover 
anything  he  can  as  to  their  contents.  But  it 
must  be  specially  his  desire  to  get  information 
as  to  his  partner's  hand,  as  on  that  he  has  to 
found  his  advantageous  system  of  play.  And 
hence  there  is  every  inducement  for  the  part- 
ners to  give  one  another  as  much  information 
as  they  can,  consistently  with  an  honourable 
adherence  to  the  ethical  constitution  of  the 
game. 

We  gain  some  information  on  this  latter 
point  in  a  work  of  the  highest  authority, 
namely,  "  Paley's  Moral  Philosophy,"  pub- 
lished in  1785,  some  sixteen  years  after  the 
death  of  Hoyle.  The  author  devotes  Chap- 
ter VIII.  to  what  he  calls  ''Contracts  of 
Hazard,"  meaning  "  gaming  and  insurance." 
He  says : 

"  The  proper  restriction  is  that  neither  side  have  an  ad- 
vantage, by  means  of  which  the  other  is  not  aware,  for 
this  is  an  advantage  taken  without  being  given.  If  I  sit 
down  to  a  game  at  Whist,  and  have  an  advantage  over  the 
adversary  by  means  of  a  better  memory,  closer  attention, 
or  a  superior  knowledge  of  the  rules  and  chances  of  the 
game,  the  advantage  is  fair. 

"  But  if  I  gain  an  advantage  by  packing  the  cards, 
glancing  my  eye  into  the  adversaries'  hands,  or  by  con- 


102  THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   ERA 

certed  signals  with  my  partner,  it  is  a  dishonest  advantage, 
because  it  depends  upon  means  which  the  adversary  never 
suspects  that  I  make  use  of." 


We  may  take  it  for  granted,  therefore,  as 
admitted  among  honest  plaj^ers,  that  no  one 
should  have  any  means  of  knowing  what  his 
partner  holds  except  by  means  equally  avail- 
able to  the  whole  table. 

When  the  Club  players  and  the  Little 
Whist  School  were  evolving  the  Philosophi- 
cal Game  they  found,  on  examination,  that  the 
various  means  formerl}^  available  for  gather- 
ing information  in  this  way  were  capable  of 
much  improvement.  They  therefore  care- 
fully revised  all  the  rules  of  play  with  the 
double  view  :  not  only  that  they  should  best 
favour  the  trick-making  powers  of  the  com- 
bination, but  also  that  they  should  convey 
the  maximum  of  positive  information  possible 
to  the  partner. 

The  result,  as  displa^'ed  in  the  Philosophi- 
cal Game,  has  been  a  marvel  of  constructive 
skill ;  and  it  will  be  interesting  to  show  by 
what  means  the  desired  purpose  has  been 
carried  out,  or  in  other  words,  how  the  in- 
formation as  to  the  hands  is  transmitted  by 
the  cards  played. 

The  chief  source  is  by  each  partner's  per- 
fect acquaintance  with  the  ordinary  rules  of 


THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   GAME  103 

play,  as  prompted  by  general  expediency. 
Every  well-established  rule  for  the  play  of  a 
card  implies  some  combination  which  renders 
that  play  desirable  ;  and  consequently,  when 
I  see  my  partner's  card  I,  trusting  to  his 
having  been  guided  by  the  rule,  can  see,  in 
my  mind's  eye,  the  existence  of  that  probable 
combination  in  his  hand. 

The  manner  of  *'  drawing  inferences "  in 
this  way  from  the  cards  played,  has  been  so 
often  explained,  and  Tables  of  Inferences 
are  given  in  so  many  Whist  books,  that  it 
is  needless  to  enlarge  upon  these  matters 
here.  It  will  suffice  to  quote  a  few  exam- 
ples.^ 

Take  your  partner's  first  lead,  and  see  what 
are  some  of  the  probable  messages  conveyed 
to  you  by  this  one  card. 

If  he  leads  a  trump,  he  tells  you  he  is  strong  in  trumps, 
and  wants  them  drawn. 

If  he  leads  a  plain  suit,  he  tells  you  he  is  not  very  strong 
in  trumps,  but  that  the  suit  lead  is  the  best  in  his  hand ; 
that  he  holds  four  or  more  cards  in  it,  and  wants  to 
establish  it  and  bring  it  in. 

If  his  first  lead  in  it  is  the  King,  he  tells  you  he  has 
either  Ace  or  Queen  also,  perhaps  both. 

If  it  is  the  Ace  followed  by  the  Queen  he  tells  you  he 
has  the  Knave  also. 

If  it  is  the  Queen,  you  infer  he  holds  also  the  Knave 
and  ten. 

1  Extracted  from  "  The  Philosophy  of  Whist,"  page  60. 


104  THE   PHILOSOPHICAL    ERA 

If  it  is  the  ten,  you  infer  he  has  most  probably  the  King 
and  Knave. 

If  it  is  a  small  card,  he  tells  you  he  has  none  of  the  com- 
binations which  would  require  him  to  lead  a  high  one. 

Or  suppose  your  partner  is  returning  3^our 
suit.  In  this  he  is  acting  on  information 
given  by  you.  You  will  see  what  his  mode 
of  play  probably  tells  you. 

If  he  does  not  lead  out  the  master  card  he  tells  you  he 
does  not  hold  it ;  and  if  not  in  your  own  hand,  you  there- 
fore know  it  is  against  you. 

If  he  leads  any  card,  afterwards  dropping  a  lower  one, 
he  tells  you  he  hae  then  no  more  of  the  suit. 

If  he  leads  any  card,  and  afterwards  drops  a  higher  one, 
he  tells  you  he  has  still  another  left. 

And  so  on  through  multitudes  of  other 
cases.  By  your  knowledge  of  the  motives 
which  have  guided  the  play  of  the  card,  the 
card  itself  reveals  the  facts  implied  in  such 
motives. 

But  independentl}^  of  inferences  of  this 
kind,  the  system  of  the  Philosophical  Game 
takes  cognizance  of  minor  points  and  pas- 
sive operations,  prescribing  greater  care  and 
strictness  in  what  were  thought,  formed}', 
unimportant  matters. 

For  example,  a  player  would,  in  the  prim- 
itive time,  pay  little  attention  to  the  man- 
a2:ement  of   small   or  useless   cards.      Mat- 


THE   PHILOSOPHICAL    GAME  105 

thews  endeavoured  to  correct  this  fault.     He 
said : 

"  Be  as  careful  of  what  you  throw  away  as  what  you  lead  ; 
it  is  often  of  bad  consequence  to  put  down  a  tray  with  a 
deuce  in  your  hand." 

And  he  goes  on  to  show  that  by  such  care- 
lessness you  deceive  your  partner,  destroy 
his  confidence  in  you,  and  prevent  him  from 
playing  his  game  properly. 

And  if  this  carefulness  was  considered 
necessary  in  the  former  era,  how  much  more 
so  must  it  be  in  the  Philosophical  Game, 
where  the  communication  between  the  part- 
ners is  the  essential  principle  in  its  structure. 
If  a  card  is  to  be  thrown  away  it  must  be  the 
lowest  card  possible  ;  it  will  tell  your  partner 
you  have  not  a  lower  one  properly  available, 
and  so  may  help  him  to  count  your  hand. 

If  the  two  lowest  cards  of  the  suit  you 
throw  away  from  are  in  sequence,  say  the  six 
and  the  five,  you  must  not  suppose,  that  be- 
cause they  are  of  equal  value  to  you  it  is  a 
matter  of  indifference  which  you  play,  you 
must  strictly  adhere  to  the  rule  and  throw 
away  the  five,  to  prevent  your  partner  from 
drawing  a  wrong  inference. 

This  example  leads  to  a  consideration  of 
the  pla}'  of   Sequences ;  generally  a  matter  of 


I06  THE    PHILOSOPHICAL   ERA 

great  importance  in  giving  information. 
The  cards  of  a  sequence  in  the  same  hand 
are  called  "  indifferent  cards,"  because  in  the 
matter  of  trick-winning  they  are  of  equal 
value.  But  it  is  not  at  all  indifferent  how 
they  should  be  played; 

Hoyle  said  :  "  Sequences  are  eligible  leads, 
of  which  play  the  highest  card  ;  "  for  an 
obvious  reason,  namely,  to  prevent  your  part- 
ner from  putting  on  the  next  highest.  And 
this,  subject  to  special  exceptions,  has  re- 
mained the  general  rule. 

The  play  of  sequences,  when  not  leading, 
was  not  well  defined  in  the  early  days  of 
Whist.  Hoyle  scarcely  mentions  it.  Payne, 
in  several  Maxims,  directs  that  the  lowest 
card  should  be  pla3"ed  second  hand,  but  does 
not  lay  stress  on  it  as  a  general  rule.  jNIat- 
thews  was  the  first  person  to  see  the  great 
importance  of  care  in  this  particular,  and  he 
brings  it  specially  forward  in  his  Preface  as 
an  example  of  right  teaching.     He  says: 

"  When  the  beginner  reads,  that  with  two  or  more  of  a 
sequence  to  his  partner's  lead  (as  King  and  Queen)  he 
should  put  on  the  lowest,  he  does  so,  or  not,  generally 
without  thinking  it  material.  But  after  he  is  made  to  com- 
prehend that  his  Queen's  passing  demonstrates  to  his  part- 
ner that  the  King  cannot  be  in  his  left  hand  adversary's 
hand,  or  the  Knave  in  his,  and  the  consequent  advantages 
to  him  in  playing  his  suit  (whereas  if  he  puts  on  the  King 


THE   PHILOSOPHICAL    GAME  lOJ 

it  leaves  him  in  ignorance  as  to  the  Queen  and  Knave), 
he  w^ill  never  after  err  in  those  cases,  and  will  also  know 
how  to  profit  by  similar  correctness  in  his  future  partners." 

In  Matthews's  Maxim  52,  he  further  says: 

"  When  your  partner  leads,  win  with  the  lowest  of  a 
sequence,  to  demonstrate  your  strength  in  his  suit." 

We  have  here,  therefore,  a  positive  rule, 
formed  on  the  principle  of  uniformity,  like 
the  play  of  small  cards.  It  is  indifferent,  so 
far  as  trick-making  is  concerned,  which  card 
of  the  sequence  I  take  the  trick  with  ;  but 
since  in  other  cases  I  should  win  with  the 
lowest  card  possible,  I  follow  the  same  prin- 
ciple here,  in  order  that  my  partner  may 
draw  the  same  inference,  namely,  that  I  have 
no  card  capable  of  winning  the  trick  lower 
than  the  one  I  play. 

When  the  Philosophical  Game  came  in, 
the  mode  of  playing  sequences,  from  its  con- 
stant recurrence  in  almost  every  hand,  be- 
came of  much  greater  importance,  and  Mat- 
thews's rule  was  accordingly  laid  down  more 
emphatically.  In  ''  The  Laws  and  Practice 
of  Whist,"  by  "  Cselebs,"  published  in  1851, 
the  author  said  : 

"  It  being  an  axiom  to  lead  the  highest  of  a  sequence,  but 
to  follow  suit  with  the  lowest,  it  follows  that  a  player  does 
not  hold  the  next  inferior  card  to  that  with  which  he  fol- 
lows suit." 


I08  THE   PHILOSOPtnCAL   ERA 

And  "  Cavendish,"  in  his  first  edition,  makes 
a  separate  heading  ''  Win  with  the  lowest  of 
a  sequence."  And  so  the  rule  has  always 
prevailed. 

There  is  another  case  of  indifferent  cards 
somewhat  analogous  to  the  play  of  se- 
quences. Payne  (Maxim  8  of  general  Rules) 
said : 

"In  returning  your  partner's  lead  play  the  best  you 
have,  when  you  held  but  three  originally." 

This  is  clearl}'  with  the  object  of  strength- 
ening the  partner  in  his  strong  suit  (see  page 
99).  But  suppose  after  winning  my  part- 
ner's lead  with  the  Ace,  I  have  left  two  in- 
different cards,  the  eight  and  the  seven,  which 
ought  I  to  return  him  ?  Clearly  the  eight,  in 
order  to  preserve  the  uniform  application  of 
the  rule  by  which  I  profess  to  be  guided. 

There  are  occasionally  cases  of  erratic  or 
abnormal  play,  devised  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment,  for  the  special  information  of  the 
partner  on  some  particular  point.  Examples 
of  these  are  as  old  as  Hoyle  and  Matthews, 
but  as  the}'  form  no  part  of  any  regular  sys- 
tem of  play  they  do  not  require  further  no- 
tice here.  The  communications  above  de- 
scribed constitute  the  ordinarv  sources  of  in- 
formation between  the  partners,  and  it  will 
be  seen  how  simple  and  efficient  they  are. 


THE   PHILOSOPHICAL    GAME  IO9 

And  if  due  attention  is  paid  to  the  cards 
played,  and  the  proper  logical  inferences  are 
drawn  therefrom,  it  is  astonishing  what  an 
insight  an  observant  player  may  obtain  into 
the  hand  of  his  partner.  Clay  meant  this 
when  he  said,  ''  Whist  is  a  language,  and 
every  card  played  is  an  intelligible  sen- 
tence." The  first  chapter  of  his  excellent 
Treatise  is  devoted  entirely  to  explaining  it, 
and  indeed  the  sentiment  appears  again  and 
again  throughout  the  volume. 

THE     PHILOSOPHICAL     GAME     IN     ITS     EDUCATIONAL 
ASPECTS. 

Returning  now  to  the  Philosophical  Game 
as  a  whole,  its  description  cannot  fail,  we 
should  think,  to  impress  the  reader  with  the 
high  intellectual  place  it  occupies  in  Whist 
Evolution.  It  is  not  likely  to  be  dethroned, 
for,  after  a  quarter  of  a  century's  experience, 
the  only  alterations  have  been  more  studious 
attention  to  detail,  and  improvements  conse- 
quent thereon;  so  that  this  game  must,  so 
far  as  Ave  yet  know,  ahvays  continue  to  be 
learned  as  the  foundation  for  more  advanced 
play. 

And  we  may  in  conclusion  pomt  out  that 
one  of  the  greatest  merits  in  this  form  of  the 
game  is  the  facility  with  which  it  lends  itself 


no  THE   PHILOSOPHICAL    ERA 

to  instruction.  The  simple  Hoyle  game  was 
a  most  difficult  thing  both  to  teach  and  to 
learn.  The  great  master  did  not  profess  to 
teach  it  by  book  ;  he  knew  well  how  difficult 
this  would  be  ;  his  aim  was  to  teach  it  per- 
sonally, and  his  book  was  originally  only  a 
number  of  notes  or  memoranda  to  enable  his 
pupils  to  treasure  up  his  oral  explanations. 
For  this  reason  it  is  not  possible  for  a  learner 
to  gather  from  the  volume  any  sort  of  sys- 
tematic understanding  of  the  game.  All  he 
finds  is  an  assemblage  of  maxims,  rules,  and 
examples  of  situations,  which  will  be  useful 
enough  in  isolated  circumstances,  but  which 
give  him  no  grasp  of  any  general  line  of 
conduct,  and  which  he  will  have  trouble  to 
recollect  when  they  require  to  be  applied. 

Payne  and  Matthews  certainly  much  im- 
proved the  arrangement ;  but  still,  after  all, 
the  instruction  derived  from  the  three  was 
but  a  mass  of  good  material,  which  did  not 
assume  the  form  of  a  structure. 

The  improved  game,  as  it  is  now  pub- 
lished in  categorical  description,  presents 
a  totally  different  appearance.  Continuing 
the  metaphor,  we  may  say  that  the  student 
will  find  that  there  is  first  laid  a  wide  and 
firm  foundation  on  which  the  whole  struc- 
ture rests ;  and  over  that  we  ma}^  trace, 
even  in  its  minutest  details,  a  general  con- 


THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   GAME  III 

sistent  and  intelligible  design,  in  conformity 
with  which  the  whole  building,  fitly  framed 
together,  grows  into  a  magnificent  temple 
of  usefulness  and  beauty. 

And  this  is  eminently  teachable.  We  can 
first  give  the  student  a  clear  general  idea  of 
what  he  has  to  do,  and  then  can  explain  to 
him  step  by  step  how  he  is  to  set  about  it; 
how  to  begin,  and  how  to  proceed;  what 
help  to  ask  for  and  what  to  afford  ;  what 
precautions  to  take,  what  dangers  to  look 
for,  and  what  perils  to  avoid  ;  how  to  make 
the  most  of  good  fortune  and  how  to  palli- 
ate adversity.  And  then,  with  such  a  prep- 
aration as  this,  he  will  be  far  better  able 
to  appreciate  and  to  utilize  the  precepts  and 
maxims  of  the  great  teachers  who  went  be- 
fore. 

In  this  way  the  high-class  game,  which 
formerly  from  its  intricacy  and  difficulty 
was  confined  to  persons  of  superior  mental 
power,  has  become  accessible  to  almost  any- 
one of  ordinary  education  and  moderate  in- 
telligence. This  is  no  fiction.  It  is  matter 
of  common  knowledge  that  since  the  publi- 
cation of  the  descriptions  of  this  game  it 
has  been  learned  and  played  by  thousands 
where  probably  only  tens  would  have  learned 
the  game  of  Hoyle,  and  perhaps  would  have 
played  it  indifferently  after   all.     And    it   is 


112  THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   ERA 

also  a  very  remarkable  fact  that  while  the 
Hoyle  game  was  proverbially  considered 
only  appropriate  to  the  vicillcsse  oi  humanity, 
it  is  now  a  favorite  study  of  vigorous  youth. 
Young  ladies  now  play  it  with  pleasure,  and 
there  is  a  case  on  record  of  a  little  girl,  un- 
der seven  years  of  age,  who,  having  been 
properly  taught,  could  go  through  the  for- 
malities of  the  modern  game  with  tolerable 
correctness,  and  made  a  very  fair  partner  to 
an  older  player. 

The  plan  of  teaching,  according  to  these 
views,  Avould  be  as  follows :  The  student 
should  be  recommended,  in  the  first  instance, 
not  to  trouble  himself  with  the  elaborations 
of  advanced  play ;  they  are  for  his  seniors, 
and  will  only  puzzle  him.  He  should  first  be 
instructed  in  the  general  theoretical  design 
of  the  game,  and  then  should  be  shown  some 
application  of  its  principles  in  the  simplest 
possible  form.  He  must,  of  course,  be  told 
that  such  brief  rules  admit  of  many  excep- 
tions, variations,  and  amplifications,  which 
he  will  learn  hereafter  ;  but,  in  the  meantime, 
they  may  give  him  a  general  idea  of  the  most 
important  points  to  be  attended  to. 

Take,  for  example,  such  a  little  batch  as 
the  following  (slightly  modified  from  a  set  in 
the  Quarterly  Revieif) : 


THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   GAME  II 3 

THE    PHILOSOPHICAL    GAME    OF    WHIST. 
A    FEW   SHORT    MEMORANDA    FOR    BEGINNERS, 

"  I.  Lead  from  your  most  numerous  suit. 

2.  Begin  with  a  low  card,  unless  you  hold  certain  speci- 
fied combinations  of  high  cards  which  dictate  specific 
leads. 

3.  If  your  partner  has  shown  you  his  long  suit,  recollect 
that  he  will  wish  also  to  see  yours  ;  but  whether  you 
should  lead  it  before  returning  his,  will  be  a  matter  for 
experience  and  judgment. 

4.  In  returnmg  your  partner's  suit,  if  you  have  only  two 
left,  return  the  highest ;  if  more  the  lowest. 

5.  But  in  any  position,  if  you  hold  the  best  card,  play  it 
the  second  round. 

6.  Second-hand,  generally  play  your  lowest. 

7.  Holding  five  trumps,  lead  them  ;  or  if  your  partner 
has  led  trumps,  return  them  as  early  as  possible. 

8.  Do  not  trump  a  doubtful  trick  second-hand  if  you 
hold  more  than  three  trumps  ;  with  three  or  less  trump 
fearlessly. 

9.  Do  not  force  your  partner  if  you  hold  less  than  four 
trumps  yourself ;  but  force  a  strong  adverse  trump  hand 
whenever  you  can. 

10.  Discard  from  your  weakest  suit. 

11.  If  not  leading,  always  play  the  lowest  of  a  se- 
quence. 

12.  Be  very  accurate  in  the  play  of  even  your  smallest 
cards." 

Such  rules  as  these  may  be  easily  com- 
mitted by  the  student  to  memory,  and  will 
serve   to  guide  his  earliest  practice.     Objec- 


114  THE   PHILOSOPHICAL   ERA 

tions  have  often  been  made  to  the  imperfec- 
tions of  such  rules,  but  experience  has  shown 
that  thev  have  served  to  sfive  a  sfood  start  to 
multitudes  of  persons  who  have  afterwards 
become  accomplished  players.  And  not  only 
'that,  but  they  have  induced  multitudes  of 
other  persons  to  like  and  play  the  game, 
who  without  them  would  not  have  learned  it 
at  all. 

After  a  little  practice  in  this  initiatory 
way,  the  earnest  student  may  be  inducted 
into  further  practical  details ;  and  as  he  goes 
on  he  will  come  in  contact  with  abundance 
of  special  situations  and  difficulties  that  re- 
quire his  study.  Information  on  such  points 
formed  the  staple  teaching  of  the  Hoyle 
Game,  and  the  Philosophical  Game  has  in 
no  wise  superseded  it,  but  has  rather  in- 
creased the  facility  of  its  application.  Such 
matters  are  treated  of  fully  in  many  good 
Whist-teaching  books,  and  do  not  require 
further  notice  here. 


PART   IV 
LATTER-DAY  IMPROVEMENTS 


CHAPTER  VII 

MODERN   SIGNALLING 
THE    GERM 

It  might  have  been  thought  that  in  the 
Philosophical  Game,  Whist  had  arrived  at 
about  the  most  perfect  state  it  was  capable 
of ;  and  speaking  generally,  this  would  seem 
true.  For,  as  regards  the  main  structure, 
there  has  been  nothing  to  alter,  and  it  re- 
mains, and  probably  must  long  remain,  the 
standard  Whist  Game. 

But,  nevertheless,  the  principle  of  Evolu- 
tion has  still  been  at  work,  not  on  the  main 
form,  but  on  the  details.  For,  during  the  last 
few  years,  there  has  been  a  gradual  intro- 
duction of  a  subordinate  development  which, 
although  still  only  in  a  state  of  transition,  has 
attracted  so  much  attention,  and  has  obtained 
so  many  earnest  adherents,  that  it  demands  a 
conspicuous  place  in  our  record  of  progress. 
It  had  partly  its  origin  in  America,  and  has 
been  taken  up  so  warmly  among  high-class 
Whist  circles  in  the  United  States,  that  it  has 


Il8  LATTER-DAY    IMPROVEMENTS 

become  the  chief  feature  in  the  Whist  of  that 
countr}*. 

The  alterations  have  reference  entirely  to 
the  further  improvement  of  the  communica- 
tions between  the  partners,  which  we  have 
pointed  out  as  so  prominent  and  so  impor- 
tant in  the  structure  of  the  Philosophical 
Game.  Adepts  had  found  these  improved 
communications  so  powerful  in  Whist  play, 
that  they  endeavoured  to  carry  them  further, 
and  their  efforts  have  led  to  results  of  a  very 
extended  character. 

It  was  only  about  the  year  1885  that  these 
developments  began  to  attract  general  notice, 
but  the  germ  of  them  had  existed  for  a  long 
time  previously.  And  it  is  no  uncommon 
thing  in  the  history  of  evolutionary  pro- 
cesses, that  a  variation  may  originate  and 
continue  in  a  minor  stage  of  existence  long 
before  it  propagates  itself  sufficiently  to  give 
rise  to  a  new  species  noticed  by  the  world. 

To  explain  this  intelligibly  we  must  take  up 
again  the  subject  of  communication  between 
the  partners,  where  we  left  it  in  Chapter  VI. 
We  there  described  the  most  obvious  and 
general  modes  of  conveying  information  ;  but 
during  the  efforts  that  were  being  made  at  the 
London  Clubs  to  improve  the  game,  a  new 
contrivance  arose,  of  such  importance  as  to 


MODERN   SIGNALLING. — THE    GERM       IIQ 

command  the  earnest  attention  of  all  Whist 
players.     It  was  called  the  Signal  for  Trumps. 

Under  the  Philosophical  System,  then  in 
process  of  incubation,  it  was  found  that  a 
prompt  lead  of  trumps  was  often  of  great 
importance.  An  expert  might  see  from  his 
own  hand,  and  from  the  fall  of  the  cards,  that 
such  a  lead  would  benefit  the  joint  hands 
considerably,  but  he  might  not  have  an  early 
power  of  getting  the  lead  himself,  and  he 
would  think  it  most  desirable  if  he  could,  by 
any  legal  means,  get  his  partner  to  lead  them 
for  him.  The  desire  at  last  led  to  the  accom- 
plishment, and  the  ''  Signal  for  Trumps " 
came  in. 

Clay  describes  it  as  follows  : 

"It  consists  in  throwing  away  a7t  iinnecessarily  high 
card.  Thus,  if  you  have  the  deuce  and  three  of  a  suit 
of  which  two  rounds  are  played,  by  playing  the  three  to 
the  first  round  and  the  deuce  to  the  second,  you  have  sig- 
nified to  your  partner  your  wish  that  he  should  lead  a 
trump  as  soon  as  he  gets  the  lead.  The  same  with  any 
other  higher  card  played  unnecessarily  before  a  lower."  ' 

He  further  states  (writing  about  1864),  that 
this  signal  was  first  introduced  some  thirty 
years  before  at  Graham's  Club,^  which  was 

1  A  Treatise  on  Short  Wjiist,  by  James  Clay.  De  la  Rue's 
edition,  page  109. 

2  In  "Whist,"  Vol.  III.,  p.  156,  Cavendish  mentions  a  curious 
custom,  in  the  Old  Long  Whist,  of  a  certain  intentional  irrcgu- 


I20  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

then  the  greatest  of  Card  Ckibs,  but  was  dis- 
solved soon  afterwards.  Its  invention  is  said 
to  have  been  due  to  a  fine  player  of  that  time, 
Lord  Henry  Bentinck.  He  had  designed  or 
noticed  some  contrivances  with  high  cards, 
adopted  with  the  object  of  getting  trumps 
led  ;  and,  being  very  particular  himself  in  the 
use  of  small  cards,  it  occurred  to  him  that  by 
analogous  means,  an  arrangement  of  the  play 
of  small  cards  might  be  made,  which  should 
communicate  to  the  partner  a  similar  desire 
for  a  trump  lead. 

The  first  published  m.ention  of  it  appears  to 
be  in  a  little  book,  dated  185 1,  called  "The 
Laws  and  Practice  of  Whist,  by  Cselebs, 
M.A.,"  the  author  being  the  late  Mr.  E.  A. 
Carlyon,  a  good  player  and  a  member  of  the 
Portland  Club,  to  the  members  of  which  his 
book  was  dedicated.     On  page  62,  he  says  : 

"  Generally,  wherever  a  higher  card  is  seen  to  fall,  pas- 
sively, i.e.,  without  a  substantive  object,  before  a  lower, 
exhaustion  of  the  suit  may  be  expected  ;  and  the  insignifi- 

larity  in  "Calling  Honours,"  which  was  understood  to  be  a  re- 
quest for  the  partner  to  lead  trumps,  as  mentioned  by  Hoyle, 
Mathews,  and  a  writer  in  1821,  Admiral  Burney.  The  latter 
says :  "  This  I  apprehend  to  be  an  intrusion  on  the  plainness  and 
integrity  of  Whist,  but  having  been  allowed  and  generally  prac- 
tised it  now  stands,  and  is  to  be  received  as  part  of  the  game." 
This  contrivance  can  hardly  be  received  as  anticipating  the  mod- 
ern Signal  for  Trumps,  though  it  may  be  fairly  quoted  as  a  prece- 
dent for  the  common  acceptance  of  the  latter,  when  "  allowed  and 
generally  practised." 


MODERN   SIGNALLING.— THE    GERM        121 

cance  of  the  cards  only  renders  the  presumption  more 
forcible ;  hence,  if  you  drop  the  tray  before  the  deuce,  it 
should  be  a  moral  certitude  that  you  have  no  more  of  the 
suit.  Many  persons  adopt  another  theory  with  regard  to 
playing  the  higher  card  first ;  viz.,  that  it  is  an  intimation 
of  wishing  trumps  to  be  led.  The  existence  of  two  such 
diametrically  opposite  theories  sufficiently  proves  the  ne- 
cessity of  attending  to  these  jninuticB." 

In  the  third  edition  of  his  book,  however, 
dated  January,  1858,  Caelebs  speaks  much 
more  positively  about  the  signal,  thus  (page 

22)  : 

"  Whenever  a  superior  card  is  tinnecessarily  played  be- 
fore an  inferior  ;  e.g.,  the  tray  before  deuce,  it  is  the  strong- 
est indication  of  the  player  wishing  for  trumps. 

"  This  Signal,  metaphorically  termed  the  Blue  Peter,  is 
in  diametrical  antagonism  to  the  theory  of  the  old  school ; 
when  playing  the  higher  card  first,  indicated  exhaustion  of 
the  suit  and  a  wish  to  ruff." 

The  comparison  of  these  two  passages  fur- 
nishes an  important  historical  fact.  As  the 
author  must  have  been  well  acquainted  with 
the  Portland  Club,  then  the  headquarters  of 
Whist,  it  is  clear  that  in  1851  the  device  was 
not  in  general  use  there,  but  that  before  1858 
it  had  become  an  acknowledged  rule  of  play. 
Indeed,  the  author,  in  the  Preface  to  the  later 
edition,  seems  to  pride  himself  on  his  ''  orig- 
inal "  description  of  the  ''  modern  artifice." 

The  ''  metaphorical  "  name  given  to  it,  lik- 


122  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

ening  it  to  a  ''  Signal  "  hoisted  on  ship-board, 
appears  to  imply  that  it  was  then  considered 
a  new  device  in  whist-playing.  At  any  rate, 
we  are  justified  by  this  evidence  in  believing 
that,  in  1858,  it  had  become  fully  accepted  in 
the  chief  London  clubs. 

A  few  years  afterwards  it  passed  under  the 
hands  of  the  '*  Little  Whist  School,"  and  ap- 
pears also  to  have  been  received  by  them 
Avithout  question.  ''Cavendish,"  who  in  1862 
founded  his  work  largely  on  their  proceed- 
ings, described  it  briefly  without  hesitation 
as  an  understood  part  of  the  game. 

When,  however,  it  became  more  known 
outside  there  was  much  hesitation  in  accept- 
ing it.  Many  players  in  good  circles  ob- 
jected to  it,  and  the  French  generally  con- 
sidered it  unjustifiable.  Accordingly,  when 
Clay  published  his  excellent  treatise  in  1864, 
he  thought  it  worth  while  to  devote  an  en- 
tire chapter  to  its  consideration  and  justifica- 
tion. It  was  discussed  occasionally  for  some 
time  afterwards,  and  the  objections  to  it  were 
often  repeated,  but  they  gradually  died  away, 
and  may  be  said  now  to  have  almost  entirely 
subsided.  The  "  signal  "  has  been  found  at- 
tractive to  the  great  mass  of  players ;  it  has 
been  approved,  adopted,  and  recommended 
by  the  best  authorities ;  nobody  doubts  its 
importance  and  efficiency  ;  and  whatever  may 


MODERN    SIGNALLING.— THE    GERM        I  23 

be  its  speculative  merits,  we  now  have  it  be- 
fore us  practically  as  an  established  integral 
part  of  the  modern  game  as  played  in  Eng- 
land and  in  America. 

We  have  therefore  no  intention  of  raising 
here  any  question  about  its  legality,  or  fair- 
ness, or  utility  ;  all  those  points  have  been 
settled  by  general  consent.  But  as  wc  are 
now  trying  to  make  a  scientific  investigation 
as  to  the  Evolution  of  Whist,  and  as,  without 
doubt,  the  signal  for  trumps  has  been  one  of 
the  most  powerful  factors  in  the  modern 
stages  of  this  Evolution,  it  is  desirable  to 
notice  the  explanations  which  have  been  of- 
fered of  its  theoretical  nature.  And  as  Clay 
is  the  authority  who  has  given  us  the  best 
and  most  copious  remarks  upon  it,  we  may 
turn  to  them  for  our  chief  information. 

After  alluding  to  the  objections  made  to  it, 
he  gives  an  ingenious  explanation  of  its  or- 
igin, with  the  view  of  showing  that  the  sig- 
nal, or  what  is  equivalent  to  it,  would  arise  in 
the  course  of  natural  play,  he  says : 

*'  You  have,  let  us  suppose,  a  very  strong  hand  in  trumps, 
a  strong  suit,  and  two  weak  suits,  say  a  queen  and  a  small 
card  in  one,  a  knave  and  a  small  card  in  the  other.  Your 
adversary  leads  the  king  of  one  of  your  weak  suits.  You 
throw  your  queen  in  order  to  induce  him  to  lead  a  trump 
for  the  protection  of  his  suit,  or  to  induce  him  at  least  to 
change  his  lead.      He  docs  not,  however,  fall  into  your 


124  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

trap,  but  plays  his  ace,  and  you  play  a  small  card.  Your 
other  weak  suit  is  then  probably  led  and  you  follow  the 
same  tactics,  but  to  no  purpose.  You  have  to  deal  with 
a  shrewd  adversary.  Your  partner  gets  the  lead  in  the 
third  round  of  one  of  those  suits.  How  should  he  reason  ? 
He  should  see  at  once,  and,  if  a  good  player,  he  would 
see  at  once,  that  you  had  endeavoured  in  vain  to  tempt 
your  adversaries  to  lead  trumps,  and  he  should  do  for  you 
that  from  which  they  had  wisely  abstained. 

"  Again  it  is,  let  us  say,  your  partner's  lead.  He  has 
two  ace  king  suits,  and  plays  his  two  kings  in  order  to 
shew  you  his  strength.  To  each  you  throw  a  high  card. 
He  reasons  thus  :  My  partner's  hand  is  all,  or  nearly  all, 
trumps  and  the  fourth  suit.  If  it  is  not,  he  wishes  me  to 
think  so  and  thereby  to  induce  me  to  lead  him  a  trump." 
— (Clay  on  Short  Whist,  pp.  i  lo-i  1 1.) 

Now  we  must  go  a  step  further.  Assum- 
ing this  sort  of  thing  to  have  been  often 
done,  it  occurred  to  Lord  Henry  Bentinck 
that,  as  a  signal  for  trumps  was  so  much 
wanted,  it  Avould  be  easy  to  make  the  con- 
trivance more  general,  and  apply  it  to  smaller 
cards;  so  that  playing,  unnecessaril}^  and  ir- 
regularl}^,  a  higher  card  before  a  lower  one, 
in  any  case,  would  serve  for  a  call  for  trumps 
to  be  led. 

Clav,  in  explanation  of  this,  says,  after  re- 
ferring to  the  cases  which  anticipated  it  (p. 
in): 

"  This  method  of  play  being  as  old  as  Whist  itself,  it  was 
certain,  sooner  or  later,  to  be  reduced  to  the  conventional 
sign,  good  in  the  lowest  cards  as  well  as  in  the  highest." 


MODERN   SIGNALLING.— THE   GERM        125 

Here,  therefore,  he  clearly  points  to  the 
real  element  of  novelty,  that  is,  the  "  reduc- 
tion to  a  conventional  sigfn,  gfood  in  the  low- 
est  cards  as  well  as  in  the  highest."  And  he 
considers  this  process  so  natural  that  he  is 
reported  to  have  stated  in  conversation,  that 
''  if  a  tribe  of  savages  were  taught  Whist,  he 
believed  they  would  arrive  at  the  signal  in 
course  of  time  by  their  own  intuition." 

"  Cavendish  "  has  also  described  the  case 
in  a  very  striking  manner,  and  his  description 
is  so  terse  and  so  excellent  that  we  give  it 
entire.     He  says  (21st  Ed.,  page  143): 

"  It  is  a  common  artifice,  if  you  wish  a  trump  to  be  led, 
to  drop  a  high  card  to  the  adversary's  lead,  to  induce  him 
to  believe  that  you  will  trump  it  next  round,  whereupon 
the  leader  will  very  likely  change  the  suit  and  perhaps 
lead  trumps.  Thus,  if  he  leads  King  (from  Ace,  King  and 
others)  and  you  hold  Queen  and  one  other,  it  is  evident 
that  you  cannot  make  the  Queen.  If  you  throw  the  Queen 
to  his  King,  he  may  lead  a  trump  to  prevent  you  trumping 
his  ace;  but  if  he  goes  on  with  the  suit  and  you  drop 
your  small  card,  it  may  fairly  be  inferred  that  you  have 
been  endeavouring  to  get  him  to  lead  a  trump.  Your 
partner  should  now  take  the  hint,  and,  if  he  gets  the  lead, 
lead  trumps  ;  for  if  you  want  them  led  it  is  of  little  con- 
sequence from  whom  the  lead  comes, 

"  By  a  conventional  extension  of  this  system  to  lower 
cards  it  is  understood  that,  whenever  you  throw  away  an 
im7iecessarily  high  card,  it  is  a  sign  (after  the  smaller  card 
drops)  that  you  want  trumps  led.  This  is  called  askhig 
for  trumps,  or  calliuiJ^  for  i rumps ^ 


126  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

This  puts  it  most  clearly.  It  explains  that 
the  signal  as  a  whole  is  not  a  novel  invention, 
but  that  the  novelty  consists  simply  in  a  con- 
ventional extension  of  a  natural  mode  of  play 
to  new  circumstances. 

For  instance,  in  returned  leads,  it  can  be 
easily  proved  that  with  a  high  card  and  a 
low  card  in  hand,  it  is  advantageous  to  return 
the  high  one.  With  two  low  cards  it  might 
seem  to  the  primitive  player  indifferent  which 
he  returned.  But  now,  this  convention  is  un- 
derstood by  all  Whist  players  to  be  *'  good  in 
the  lowest  cards  as  well  as  in  the  highest." 
This  is  similar  in  principle  to  the  extended 
convention  known  as  the  call  for  trumps,  and 
is  much  earlier. 

But  we  have  chosen  our  illustration  from 
the  trump  call,  because  this  would  appear  to 
be  the  earliest  use  of  it  which  had  assumed 
any  great  importance  in  Whist  history  ;  and 
we  may,  therefore,  in  our  theoretical  reason- 
ing, fairly  connect  all  conventional  extensions 
with  this  signal. 

Judging  a  posteriori  it  appears  difficult  to 
find  any  reason  for  the  great  opposition 
which  was  raised  to  the  device  on  its  first  gen- 
eral publication,  except  on  the  ground  of  this 
little  germ  of  novelty  in  its  structure.  It  is 
a  very  small  thing  indeed  ;  but  it  is  sufficient 
to  enable  a  player  to  make  an  important  com- 


MODERN    SIGNALLING. — THE   GERM        12/ 

munication  to  his  partner  which  previously 
he  could  not  do;  and  this  is  the  great  element 
in  the  importance  it  has  assumed. 

In  the  great  Evolution  of  nature  there  ap- 
pears to  have  been  a  day  when,  among  the 
multifarious  combinations  of  the  inert  chemi- 
cal elements,  an  infinitesimal  spark  mysteri- 
ously entered,  which  gave  one  of  them  a  new 
molecular  form,  and  so  introduced  the  great 
and  marvellous  phenomena  of  universal  life 
throughout  the  world.  And  in  the  Cosmos  of 
Whist,  a  spark  as  infinitesimal  may  have 
dropped,  in  a  London  club,  into  the  seething 
mass  of  Whist  study,  and  have  ultimately 
produced  the  wonderful  combinations  of  the 
modern  American  game. 

And  why  need  there  be  any  hesitation  in 
admitting  that  the  signal  contains  a  novel 
feature  ?  Why  should  not  novelties  be  intro- 
duced into  Whist  ?  Do  not  such  introduc- 
tions form  indeed  an  essential  part  of  the  Evo- 
lution we  are  now  considering?  Thei'e  have 
been  changes  and  improvements  enough 
since  the  invention  of  Whist,  and  why  should 
not  this  be  favourably  received,  if  it  is  fair, 
and  if  it  is  found  to  add  general  interest  to 
the  game  ? 

As  to  its  fairness  there  can  be  no  question. 
Clay,  a  most  equitable  and  honourable-minded 
authority,  declares  it  is  "  open  to  no  objection 


128  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

on  the  score  of  unfairness."  And  this  will  be 
quite  clear  according  to  Paley 's  test,  as  quoted 
on  page  loi,  seeing  that  the  means  by  which 
the  information  is  conve3^ed  is  open  to  the 
Avhole  table.  The  explanation  of  the  novelty 
it  contains,  i.e.,  the  conventional  extension  to 
the  smaller  cards,  is  become  an  acknowledged 
integral  part  of  modern  Whist  instruction, 
and  all  modern  players  are  bound  to  know  it, 
or  to  suffer  from  their  ignorance,  as  they 
would  from  ignorance  of  any  other  modern 
Whist  rule  of  play. 

The  other  question,  as  to  the  effect  of  the 
trump  signal  on  the  game,  is  not  so  easily 
answered.  Clay  says,  after  declaring  its  fair- 
ness : 

"  Whether  or  not  it  is  an  improvement  of  the  game  is 
quite  another  question,  but  one  which  it  is  scarce  worth 
while  to  argue  here,  as  the  practice  exists,  and  cannot,  to 
my  thinking,  be  put  an  end  to.  At  least  it  has  simpli- 
fied the  game  to  the  indifferent  player  and  greatly  dimin- 
ished the  advantage  of  skill.  The  time  for  leading  trumps 
used  to  be  the  point,  of  all  others,  demanding  the  greatest 
judgment.  Now,  almost  as  often  as  not,  the  tyro  knows 
whether  his  partner  wishes  trumps  to  be  played.  So  much 
is  this  the  case  that  a  player  of  great  reputation,  who  claims 
such  credit  as  is  due  to  the  inventor  of  the  signal,  has  often 
said  that  he  bitterly  regrets  his  ingenuity,  which  has  de- 
prived him  of  one  half  the  advantage  which  he  derived 
from  his  superior  play.  This  practice,  however,  is  estab- 
lished in  England,  and  sooner  or  later  it  will  travel." — 

(P.   112.) 


MODERN   SIGNALLING. — THE    GERM        1 29 

But  even  if  Clay's  disparaging  remark  be 
true  when  applied  to  plaj-ers  of  quite  the 
highest  grade,  it  is  unquestionable  that  the 
signal  has  vastly  increased  the  interest  of 
the  game  to  the  multitudes — the  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  more  moderate  'players — and 
has,  among  that  class,  raised  the  character  of 
the  pla}^  It  has  not  only  done  good  to  those 
who  profit  by  it,  but  has  also  improved  the 
play  generally  by  requiring  more  attention 
to  be  paid  to  the  fall  of  the  cards,  particu- 
larly of  small  ones.  Formerly,  many  people, 
who  were  observant  enough  of  honours 
and  high  cards  generally,  let  their  attention 
slacken  in  regard  to  twos,  threes,  fours,  fives^ 
etc. 

Nowadays  this  will  not  do ;  if,  when  a 
man  throws  away  a  three  his  partner  fails 
to  recollect  that,  some  few  tricks  before,  he 
threw  away  a  five  of  the  same  suit,  the  said 
partner  must  expect  a  somewhat  severe  re- 
buke for  having,  perhaps,  by  his  carelessness 
lost  the  game.  Or,  if  one  of  the  adversaries 
is  guilty  of  the  same  want  of  perception,  he 
may  lose  an  opportunity  of  forcing  the  call- 
ing hand,  or  of  enabling  his  partner  to  make 
a  little  trump  before  it  is  drawn,  so  perhaps 
saving  the  game. 

Then  the  trump  signal  makes  the  players 
themselves  more  careful  about  the  play  of 
9 


I30  LATTER-DAY    IMPROVEIVIENTS 

small  cards.  For  example,  a  player  who 
sorts  the  cards  of  each  suit  according  to 
their  rank,  may  happen  to  misplace  a  five 
and  a  four,  and  in  consequence  to  play 
them  unintentionally  in  the  wrong  order. 
In  the  olden  time  this  would  not  do  much 
harm,  but  now  an  observant  partner,  hold- 
ing three  trumps,  would  at  once  lead  out 
his  best,  to  what  he  deemed  a  call,  and  pos- 
sibly the  whole  play  of  the  hand  might  be 
ruined.  The  fear  of  this  sort  of  thing  is  a 
w^holesome  check. 

On  this  ground  —  nam.ely,  by  stimulating 
the  attention  of  the  more  moderate  class  of 
players — the  trump  signal  undoubtedly  gives 
greater  interest  to  the  game.  It  increases 
the  number  of  things  which  have  to  be  ob- 
served, and  it  opens  out  opportunities  for 
skilful  play  which  did  not  exist  before.  It  is 
true  that  it  often  expedites  the  course  of 
powerful  hands,  which  carry  all  before  them, 
and  give  no  chance  for  opposition ;  but  in 
the  more  evenly  balanced  distributions  it 
often  produces  interesting  situations,  where 
the  combatants  may  fairly  contest  their  pow- 
ers. 

We  have  hitherto  referred  to  the  signal  for 
trumps  only  in  its  original  simple  form  ;  but 
its    chief    importance,    in   the    Evolution    of 


MODERN   SIGNALLING.— THE    GERM        131 

Whist,  consists  in  the  fact  that  the  novelty 
it  involves,  minute  though  it  be,  has  formed 
TJie  Germ,  which,  like  the  grain  of  mustard- 
seed,  has  developed  to  large  dimensions. 
This  development  we  have  now  to  con- 
sider. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

DEVELOPMENTS 

The  first  of  the  new  Wfiist  Developments 
was  made  by  ''  Cavendish,"  in  what  was  called 
the  "  Penultimate  "  lead  from  a  suit  of  five 
cards.  It  arose  in  a  curious  indirect  way, 
of  which  its  author  has  given  an  interesting 
account/  and  which  it  will  be  instructive 
briefly  to  describe  here. 

When  working  with  the  Little  School,  find- 
ing the  lead  of  the  ten  adopted  from  King, 
Knave,  ten  and  small  ones  (to  protect  the  suit 
in  case  the  partner  should  be  very  weak)  he 
proposed,  on  the  same  grounds,  to  lead  the 
lowest  of  any  intermediate  sequence  of  three 
cards.  This  was  objected  to  by  Clay,  as  he 
feared  that  such  leads  might  be  mistaken  for 
leads  from  weak  suits.  Respect  for  the  great 
authority  checked  discussion,  but  "  Caven- 
dish "  often  afterwards  tried  the  plan  in 
playing  with  friends,  and  gradually  discov- 
ered that  by  its  means  the  leader,  when  a 
smaller  card  was  afterwards    played,   could 

1 ''  Whist"  Journal,  January,  1894,  page  116. 


DEVELOPMENTS  133 

always  be  credited  with  at  least  five  cards  of 
the  suit.  This  suggested  the  idea  that  lead- 
ing the  lowest  but  one,  /;/  any  case,  ivoiild  have 
the  same  effect.  The  plan  was  communicated 
in  pamphlet  form  to  various  clubs,  and  Clay 
withdrew  his  demurrer.  It  graduall}'  spread  ; 
about  1872  it  was  incorporated  in  "  Caven- 
dish's "  book,  and  it  has  since  been  largely 
accepted  as  a  useful  device  in  giving  infor- 
mation. 

The  author  has  fully  explained  its  theoreti- 
cal character.  The  penultimate  was  natu- 
rally led  from  such  a  combination  as  King, 
10,  9,  8,  and  2,  as  a  matter  of  trickmaking  ex- 
pediency, to  protect  the  suit,  and  it  then  in- 
dicated five  cards.  When  it  was  led  from, 
say  King,  10,  9,  3,  and  2,  it  also  indicated  five 
cards,  by  a  conventional  extension,  of  the 
same  nature  as  that  of  the  trump-signal. 

The  "■  Penultimate  lead  "  was  destined  to 
have  an  important  sequel.  In  1879  Colonel 
(now  General)  Dray  son,  in  his  excellent  "Art 
of  Practical  Whist,"  extended  it  by  recom- 
mending that  the  holding  of  six  cards  should 
be  intimated  in  a  corresponding  manner,  by 
leading  the  antepenultimate,  a  suggestion  which 
seemed  a  fair  addition  to  the  original  one. 

About  1883,  the  process  of  development  re- 
ceived an  unexpected  reinforcement  from 
the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic :  and  as  Ameri- 


13-4-  LATTER-DAY    IMPROVEMENTS 

ca  has  since  taken  such  an  important  share  in 
regard  to  these  Latter-Day  Improvements,  it 
is  desirable  now  to  speak  of  the  proceedings 
somewhat  fully. 

We  may  take  it  for  granted  that  the  old 
Hoyle  game,  during  its  long  exclusive  pos- 
session of  the  Whist  field,  had  spread  into 
the  Western  World ;  and  when  it  became 
improved  into  the  Philosophical  form,  the 
acute  Americans  were  by  no  means  sluggish 
in  appreciating  the  improvements.  The 
work  of  the  present  author,  describing  its 
general  nature  and  advantages,  was  (unfort- 
unately without  any  advantage  to  him)  mul- 
tiplied and  distributed  over  the  Western 
Hemisphere  to  an  extent  quite  unprecedent- 
ed for  a  book  of  the  kind ;  while  with  those 
who  went  seriously  in  for  improvement, 
"  Cavendish  "  and  Clay  became  also  house- 
hold words. 

Among  the  earnest  students  of  the  modern 
Whist,  had  been  a  Mr.  Nicholas  Browse 
Trist,  of  New  Orleans.  He  was  of  an  emi- 
nent family,  and  had  received  a  high-class 
education.  He  had  entered  into  correspond- 
ence with  "  Cavendish,"  and  had  discussed 
many  interesting  points  of  Whist  practice 
with  him,  frequently  writing  in  the  Field  on 
the  subject. 


DEVELOPMENTS  1 35 

In  1883,  Mr.  Trist,  studying  the  leads 
above  mentioned,  conceived  the  bright  idea 
that  instead  of  counting  the  distance  of  the 
card  led  from  the  bottom  of  the  suit,  it  would 
be  m.ore  convenient  to  count  it  from  the  top. 
So  that,  if  the  intimation  were  given  to  the 
partner  beforehand  that  the  first  small  card 
led,  in  long  suits,  Avould  be  the  fourth  from 
the  top,  or  as  it  is  now  called,  t\\Q  fourth  best, 
it  would  comprise  the  old  lead  of  the  lowest 
from  four,  the  ''  Cavendish  "  penultimate  from 
five,  and  Drayson's  antepenultimate  from  six, 
all  in  one  rule. 

This  was  communicated  to  ''  Cavendish  "  in 
a  letter,  and  shown  to  the  author  of  the  pres- 
ent work,  who  fully  concurring  in  the  ele- 
gance of  the  simplification,  remarked  that  it 
seemed  to  have  been,  as  inventors  say,  "  in 
the  air  "  for  some  time,  and  might  be  consid- 
ered to  be  now  fully  established,  as  a  princi- 
ple of  play. 

Of  course  it  may  be  said  (as  was  said  at  the 
time)  that  for  the  four,  five,  and  six  suits,  this 
proposal  was  only  a  change  of  name,  offering 
nothing  new.  But  really  the  change  of  name 
meant  a  great  deal,  because  it  involved  a  new 
mode  of  considering  the  lead  as  information 
to  the  partner.  Hitherto  he  had  only  esti- 
mated the  number  of  cards  held,  by  the  in- 
dications of  the  low  cards  observed  ;  but  now 


136  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

his  attention  was  called  to  the  value  of  the 
high  cards,  as  revealed  by  the  fact  that  the 
leader  must  hold  exactly  tJircc  cards,  neither 
more  nor  less,  of  higher  value  than  the  one 
led. 

An  example  will  make  this  clear.  Sup- 
pose I  hold  King,  Knave,  nine,  eight,  and 
two,  and  I  lead  the  eight.  Considering  the 
eight  as  "^  penidtiniate  lead,  my  partner,  when 
I  drop  the  two,  will  know  I  had  five  cards 
originally.  But  considering  it  as  the  lead  of 
the  '*  fourth  best,"  he  may  gain  much  more 
valuable  information.  Suppose  he  himself 
holds  Queen,  ten,  and  a  small  one,  and  that 
when  he  plays  the  Queen  it  is  taken  by  the 
Ace.  Then,  when  he  considers  that  I  must 
hold  three  cards  higher  than  the  eight,  and 
that  Ace,  Queen,  and  ten  are  not  among 
them,  he  knows,  on  the  completion  of  this 
very  first  round,  just  as  positively  as  if  he 
looked  over  my  hand,  that  I  hold  the  King, 
Knave,  and  nine.  This  seems  very  obvious 
and  simple,  but  no  one  before  Mr.  Trist  ap- 
pears to  have  thought  of  it,  although  the  lead 
is  precisely  the  same  as  practised  before, 
either  with  four,  five,  or  (on  Drayson's  prin- 
ciple) with  six  cards. 

The  convention  is  justified  as  follows:  For 
the  trick-making  effect  a  low  card  only  is 
wanted ;  and  the  leader  might  be  expected,  in 


DEVELOPMENTS  1 37 

default  of  any  other  understanding,  to  lead 
the  lowest  he  has.  But  in  the  majority  of 
cases,  as  four  is  the  most  frequent  number  of 
a  long  suit,  this  would  be  the  fourth  best ; 
and  by  a  conventional  extension  this  is,  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  information,  made  the 
general  rule,  all  cards  below  the  fourth  best 
being  ignored,  just  as  if  they  were  not  in  the 
leader's  hand. 

This  idea,  from  its  simplicity  and  useful- 
ness, soon  became  popular,  and  in  honour  to 
Mr.  Trist  it  has  been  universally  known  by 
the  name  of  an  ''  American  Lead." 

Mr.  Trist,  however,  about  the  same  time 
did  something  more,  as  he  contributed  an 
important  convention  of  another  kind.  He 
had  noticed  the  advantageous  use  that  had 
been  made  of  variations  in  the  play  of  "  in- 
different high  cards,"  i.e.,  cards  of  equal  value 
for  trick-making  purposes  ;  and  he  proposed 
to  carry  this  further.  The  cases  were  many 
where  a  player  had  to  lead  one  card  of  a  se- 
quence, and  Mr.  Trist  reasoned  that  accord- 
ing to  the  new  privilege,  the  leader  might, 
by  choosing  different  cards  for  the  purpose, 
convey  by  convention  distinct  items  of  infor- 
mation for  each  card. 

In  settling  how  this  should  be  arranged, 
he  ingeniously  took  advantage  of  some  or- 


138  LATTER-DAY    IMPROVEMENTS 

dinary  expedients  which  had  ah-eady  pre- 
vailed for  trick-making  purposes.  There  had 
been  a  rule  established  in  the  earliest  times 
by  Hoyle,  that,  supposing  the  leader  of  a 
plain  suit  to  hold  King,  Queen,  and  Knave, 
if  he  held  only  three  or  four  cards  of  the 
suit  altogether,  he  should  lead  the  King ; 
but  that  if  he  held  five  or  more  he  should 
lead  the  Knave  ;  the  object  of  this  being  to 
induce  his  partner  to  put  on  the  Ace,  if 
he  had  it  single-guarded,  to  get  it  out  of  the 
leader's  way. 

There  had  also  a  rule  been  made  specially 
by  "  Cavendish  "  for  the  Philosophical  Game, 
of  somewhat  similar  character.  If  the  leader 
held  Ace,  Queen,  and  Knave,  he  would  lead 
first  the  Ace,  and  then  the  Queen  or  the 
Knave  ;  but  here  he  had  a  choice  which  of 
these  two  ''  indifferent  cards"  he  should  lead. 
If  he  held  originally  not  more  than  four 
cards,  he  should  lead  the  Queen,  but  if  he 
held  five  or  more,  he  should  lead  the  Knave, 
not  for  any  informing  purpose,  but  w^ith  the 
view  of  inducing  his  partner  to  put  on  the 
King  if  he  held  it  with  two  others  originally, 
and  so  avoid  blocking  the  suit. 

Now,  Mr.  Trist  reasoned  thus,  "  Here  are 
two  cases  where  it  has  been  settled  that  dif- 
ferences are  made  in  the  card  led,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  obtaining  different  results  conducive 


DEVELOPMENTS  1 39 

to  trick-making- ;  wh}^  should  not  these  dif- 
ferences be  utilized  also  for  giving  the  part- 
ner information?  It  happens  that  in  each 
case  the  lead  of  a  lower  card  accompanies  the 
holding  of  a  larger  number  of  the  suit,  and  the 
lead  of  a  higher  card  accompanies  a  smaller 
number  of  the  suit.  Why  cannot  we,  under 
the  new  conventionally  extended  system  of 
giving  information,  make  it  understood  that 
in  all  cases  of  the  leading  of  indifferent  high 
cards,  whether  the  general  policy  of  trick- 
making  dictates  it  or  not,  the  same  rule  shall 
apply  ?  He  consulted  "  Cavendish,"  Avho 
warmly  approved  of  the  suggestion,  and  this 
at  once  was  registered  and  widely  adopted 
as  another  item  of  American  Leads. 

They  were  taken  up  energetically  by  ''  Cav- 
endish "  about  the  middle  of  1884;  he  wrote 
much  about  them  in  the  Field,  and  a  special 
article  in  Macmillans  Magazine  for  January, 
1886.  He  also  gave  several  illustrated  lec- 
tures on  them  to  Whist  coteries,  and  he  pub- 
lished in  1885  a  work  called  '' Whist  Develop- 
ments"^ (dedicated  to  Mr.  Trist),  in  which 
the  American  Leads  formed  the  chief  topic. 
He  described  them  very  fully  and  laid  down 
three  maxims  by  which  they  were  defined,  as 
follows : 

1  "  Whist  Developments.  American  Leads  and  the  Unblock- 
ing Game."     De  la  Rue  &  Co.     1885. 


140  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

1.  When  you  open  a  suit  with  a  Low  Card, 
lead  3' our  Fourth  Best. 

2.  On  quitting  the  head  of  your  suit,  lead 
your  Original  Fourth  Best} 

3.  With  two  high  indifferent  cards  lead 
the  higher  ii  you  opened  a  suit  of  four ;  the 
lower  if  you  opened  3.  suit  of  five. 

The  promulgation  of  these  leads  gave  rise 
to  some  controversy  ;  but  the  principles 
made  way  among  the  more  earnest  Whist 
circles,  and  they  were  incorporated,  in  1886, 
in  the  sixteenth  edition  of  "  Cavendish's " 
work,  as  established  rules  of  practice. 

"  Cavendish  "  was  indefatisrable  in  brinofinpf 
into  use  the  new  system  of  improved  com- 
munications. He  introduced  a  fresh  one  af- 
fecting, in  an  important  wa}^  the  management 
of  trumps.  When  a  player  resolves  to  lead 
them  it  becomes  ver}^  desirable  for  him  to 
know  to  what  extent  his  partner  is  able  to 
support  him.  This  may  be  seen  to  some 
extent  by  the  card  he  returns  ;  but  in  the 
thirst  for  information  in  the  present  day  it 
cannot  be  waited  for;  it  is  wanted  at  once. 
Suppose,  therefore,  I  either  lead  trumps  or 
call  for  them  :  the   moment  my  partner  sees 

1  This  maxim  afterwards  underwent  discussion,  for  many  years, 
and  "  Cavendish  "  now  prefers  to  say,  lead  the.  fourth  best  remain- 
ing in  your  hand. 


DEVELOPMENTS  HI 

this,  if  he  happens  to  hold  more  than  three  he 
also  calls  for  trumps,  which  is  to  be  under- 
stood to  communicate  that  fact  to  me.  This 
is  called  The  Echo  of  the  Trump  Call.  Of 
course  if  I  do  not  see  an  echo  I  understand 
he  holds  only  three  or  less.  This  was  pub- 
lished by  ''  Cavendish  "  in  1874,  and  a  "  sub- 
echo  "  has  since  been  arranged  to  show  when 
the  exact  number  held  is  three. 

Another  novelty  that  occupied  the  attention 
of  ''Cavendish"  had  reference  to  the  effec- 
tual ''  bringing  in'  of  a  long  suit,  which,  it  will 
be  recollected  (see  page  92)  was  one  of  the 
fundamental  features  of  the  Philosophical 
Game.  This  desirable  result  was  of  course 
often  frustrated  by  the  opponents,  whose 
business  it  was  to  endeavour  to  do  so  ;  but  it 
was  sometimes  also  frustrated  by  the  partner, 
whose  business  should  have  been  to  help  in- 
stead of  to  obstruct  the  desired  end. 

Suppose,  for  example,  that  when  I  am  try- 
ing to  bring  in  my  long  suit,  my  partner  may 
hold  a  high  card  in  it,  together  with  some 
small  ones  ;  it  may  not  unfrequently  chance, 
if  care  is  not  used,  that  after  he  has  got  rid 
of  his  small  cards,  his  high  one  may  stand  in 
my  way,  and  stop  my  continuous  lead.  This 
is  called  "  blocking  my  suit,"  and  "  Caven- 
dish's" proposal  was  to  enable  my  partner  to 


142  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

avoid  getting  me  into  this  clifficult}^  He  ac- 
cordingly devised,  by  a  masterly  process  of 
reasoning,  a  way  by  which,  if  my  partner 
used  ordinary  care,  he  could  see  beforehand 
when  his  high  card  would  be  likely  to  be  ob- 
structive, and  might  get  rid  of  it  in  time. 
This  he  called  *'  unblocking ;  "  and  the  pro- 
cess by  which  it  was  effected,  the  '*  Unblock- 
ing Game."  It  was  published  in  his  ''  Whist 
Developments,"  1885.  It  depended  almost 
entirely  on  the  indications  given,  by  the 
American  leads,  as  to  the  number  of  cards 
held.  Indeed  the  endeavour  to  show  this, 
and  so  to  enable  an  observer  to  "  count  his 
partner's  hand,"  appears  to  have  been  the 
chief  object  in  these  contrivances  generally. 

"  Cavendish  "  devised  the  following  short 
rule  for  unblocking  purposes.  When  3^our 
partner  leads  originally  either  iVce,  Queen, 
Knave,  ten,  or  nine  (not  the  King),  and  you 
hold  exactly  four  cards  of  the  suit,  retain  your 
lowest  card  on  the  first  and  second  rounds. 
This  is  a  simple  general  rule,  of  the  applica- 
tion of  which  the  following  is  an  example. 
The  first  lead  is  a  Queen  ;  second  hand  plays 
King  ;  the  third  hand  knows  that,  according 
to  modern  practice,  the  lead  was  from  Queen, 
Knave,  ten,  and  probably  four  or  more  in 
suit.  The  third  hand  holds  nine,  eight, 
seven,  and  two,  of  the  suit.    He  should  retain 


DEVELOPMENTS  143 

the  two  and  play  the  seven.  On  the  second 
round  the  original  leader's  ten  is  Avon  by  the 
opponent's  Ace.  The  original  third  hand 
should  play  the  eight,  still  retaining  the  two. 
It  is  now  obvious  that  if  the  original  lead  was 
from  four  cards  (or  even  three)  no  harm  is 
done,  as  the  two  can  be  played  on  the  third 
round,  if  thought  expedient.  But  if  the  orig- 
inal lead  was  from  five  or  more  cards  (as  may 
be  determined  by  the  fall  of  the  cards  on  the 
first  and  second  rounds)  the  third  hand  can 
now  unblock  by  playing  the  nine  to  his  part- 
ner's Knave.  Had  he  retained  the  nine  and 
the  eight,  he  must  block  any  long  cards  his 
partner  may  hold.  For  further  details  the 
book  must  be  referred  to. 

Most  of  the  results  of  Whist  study  in  this 
period  were  in  the  shape  of  new  additions  to 
the  ordinary  rules.  But  in  some  cases  this 
study  led  to  revisions  and  alterations  of  the 
old  time-honoured  formulae,  and  of  the  sim- 
plest and  most  obvious  leads.  For  example, 
in  an  original  lead  from  a  long  suit  contain- 
ing Ace  and  King,  the  orthodox  practice  was 
to  play  out  the  King  first,  and  then  the  Ace, 
for  reasons  well  considered  and  well  known. 
But,  in  1888, ''  Cavendish  "  proposed  to  adhere 
to  this  only  for  a  suit  of  four  ;  if  it  was  longer, 
this  fact  was  to  be  intimated  to  the  partner 


144  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

by  beginning  with  the  Ace,  and  following 
with  the  King.  Similarly,  the  old  orthodox 
habit  for  a  long  suit  headed  by  King  and 
Queen,  was  to  begin  with  the  King  ;  but  this 
also  was  now  confined  to  suits  of  four  only ; 
for  longer  suits  the  new  prescription  was  to 
begin  with  the  Queen. 

These  are  only  examples :  for  in  the  ad- 
vanced study  of  leads,  the  fact  became  evi- 
dent that,  by  a  previous  understanding,  other 
leads  formerly  prescribed  might  be  changed 
advantageously,  so  as  to  afford  more  informa- 
tion. The  new  list  of  leads  in  the  21st  Edi- 
tion of  "Cavendish,"  1893,  contains  some 
sixty  rules,  occupying  seven  pages ! 

The  particulars  stated  above  only  give  an 
idea  of  the  general  nature  of  the  novelties  in- 
troduced during  this  period ;  for,  the  admis- 
sion of  extensions  of  principle  being  allowed, 
many  advantageous  cases  of  their  application 
were  discovered.  It  is  only  just,  however, 
to  their  chief  author,  "  Cavendish,"  to  say  that 
he  always  seems  to  have  taken  great  pains, 
before  introducing  and  publishing  new  in- 
ventions of  the  kind,  to  investigate  thorough- 
ly their  nature  and  working,  and  to  discuss 
candidly  their  advantages  and  disadvantages, 
so  as  to  establish  not  onl}^  their  correctness 
in  principle  but  their  usefulness  in  applica- 
tion.    He  would  submit  them  to  good  judges, 


DEVELOrMENTS  145 

and  in  the  first  instance  offer  them  tentatively 
to  the  Whist  world,  by  inserting  them  in  an 
Appendix ;  and  he  would  only  admit  them 
into  the  body  of  his  work,  after  he  had  se- 
cured the  assent,  to  them,  of  persons  on 
whose  judgment  and  experience  he  appears 
to  have  relied. 

He  has  also  taken  the  trouble  to  give,  at 
some  length,  arguments  in  defence  of  the 
new  introductions,  and  general  statements  of 
his  views  on  Whist  conventions  and  signals 
generally.  And  as  this  involves  the  mention 
of  points  confessedly  obscure,  on  Avhich  there 
is  not  only  much  want  of  knowledge  among 
practical  Whist  players,  but  some  difference 
of  opinion  among  educated  experts,  it  is  only 
justice  to  so  high  an  authority  to  quote 
some  of  his  most  important  passages.  (21st 
Edition,  Chapter  on  "  The  Conversation  of 
the  Game.") 

"  The  instructed  player  frequently  selects  one  card  in 
preference  to  another  with  the  sole  object  of  affording  in- 
formation. When  the  principle  is  carried  thus  far  the  play 
becomes  purely  conventional.  For  example,  you  naturally 
win  a  trick  as  cheaply  as  possible  :  if  fourth  hand  you 
could  win  with  a  ten  you  would  not  waste  an  Ace.  But 
suppose  you  hold  Knave  and  ten,  which  card  should  then 
be  played  ?  The  Knave  and  ten  in  one  hand  are  of  equal 
value,  and  therefore  to  win  with  the  Knave  would  be  no 
unnecessary  sacrifice  of  strength.     Nevertheless  you  ex- 


146  LATTER-DAY    IMPROVEMENTS 

tend  to  such  cases  the  rule  of  winning  as  cheaply  as  pos- 
sible, and  you  play  the  ten  for  the  mere  purpose  of  con- 
veying information.  This  is  a  simple  instance  of  pure 
convention.  Again,  the  system  of  returning  the  higher  of 
two  losing  cards  when  they  are  both  small  cards,  is  purely 
conventional. 

"  To  take  another  case  :  after  two  rounds  of  your  four- 
card  suit  you  are  left  with  two  losing  cards,  say  the  six 
and  the  seven,  and  you,  having  the  lead,  are  about  to 
continue  the  suit ;  you  should  lead  the  six,  not  the  seven, 
in  accordance  with  the  rule  that  you  lead  the  lowest 
card  of  a  suit,  except  with  commanding  strength.  This 
being  the  convention,  if  you  lead  the  seven  your  partner 
will  infer  that  you  cannot  hold  the  six,  and  will  suppose 
that  you  led  from  a  three-card  suit  in  consequence  of  ex- 
ceptional circumstances  ;  if  he  is  a  good  player  he  will 
miscount  all  the  hands,  probably  to  your  mutual  discom- 
fiture. 

"  Whist  conventions,  it  will  be  observed,  are  in  accord- 
ance with,  and  are  suggested  by,  principle.  Indeed  all 
the  established  conventions  of  the  game  are  so  chosen  as 
to  harmonize  with  play  that  would  naturally  be  adopted 
independently  of  convention.  The  aggregation  of  the  rec- 
ognized rules  of  play,  including  the  established  conven- 
tions, constitutes  what  in  practice  is  called  the  Conversa- 
tion of  the  Game  of  Whist. 

"  A  most  valuable  mode  of  conveying  very  precise  in- 
formation of  strength  is  within  the  reach  of  those  who 
adopt  the  mode  of  leading  advised  at  pp.  75-83  [The 
Analysis  of  Leads  in  Detail].  As  some  of  these  leads 
have  been  questioned  it  may  be  stated  that,  in  the  opinion 
of  the  Author,  they  are  advantageous  when  played  by  part- 
ners comprehending  them,  and  that  they  form  a  system  in 
harmony  with  established  principles. 


DEVELOPMENTS  147 

"  With  regard  to  this  system  as  applied  to  leading  a 
high  card  of  your  strong  suit  after  a  high  card,  no  one 
disputes  the  advantage  of  leading  Ace,  then  Queen,  from 
Ace,  Queen,  Knave  and  one  small  card,  and  of  leading  Ace, 
then  Knave  from  Ace,  Queen,  Knave  and  more  than  one 
small  card.  In  the  case  of  the  four-card  suit  you  select 
the  higher  card  to  tell  your  partner  not  to  play  the  King,  as 
you  have  not  sufficient  numerical  power  to  defend  the  suit 
single-handed.  In  the  case  of  a  suit  of  more  than  four 
cards  you  select  the  lower  card,  that  your  partner  may  not 
retain  the  command  of  your  suit,  and  may  play  the  King, 
should  he  happen  to  have  held  King  and  tw^o  small  ones 
originally.  For  a  similar  reason  it  is  obvious  that  with 
Queen,  Knave,  ten,  and  one  small  card,  you  should  follow 
Queen  with  Knave ;  with  Queen,  Knave,  ten,  and  more 
than  one  small  card  you  should  follow  Queen  with  ten. 

"  Now  here  is  a  germ  of  a  principle  of  play.  Holding 
two  high  indifferent  cards  and  only  four  of  your  suit,  your 
second  lead  is  the  higher  card ;  holding  more  than  four, 
your  second  lead  is  the  lower  card.  For  the  sake  of  uni- 
formity you  should  pursue  the  same  plan  in  all  cases 
where,  after  your  first  lead,  you  remain  with  two  high  in- 
different cards. 

"  With  regard  to  the  system  as  applied  to  opening  your 
strong  suit  with  a  low  card,  those  who  have  already  adopted 
the  penultimate  lead  from  suits  of  five  cards  will  have  no 
difficulty  in  again  discovering  the  germ  of  a  principle  of 
play.  The  fourth  best  card  of  your  suit  is  led  from  suits 
of  four  cards  and  from  suits  of  five  cards. 

"  You  have  only  to  apply  the  same  rule  to  suits  of  more 
than  five  cards  and  to  lead  your  fourth  best  card.  You 
then  pursue  a  uniform  practice,  and  at  the  same  time  con- 
vey information  which  may  be  very  useful. 

"As  an  illustration,  take  this  suit:  Queen,  ten.  nine. 


148  LATTER- DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

eight.  You  lead  the  eight.  Now,  suppose  3'our  suit  to  be 
Queen,  ten,  nine,  eight,  three  ;  you  still  lead  the  eight.  Now 
add  one  more  card.  Your  suit  is  Queen,  ten,  nine,  eight, 
three,  two.  You  should  still  lead  the  eight.  No  doubt  a 
careful  player  would  lead  the  eight,  as  a  card  of  protection, 
even  if  systematic  leads  had  never  been  thought  of.  With 
lower  cards,  such  as  Queen,  nine,  eight,  seven,  three,  two, 
it  is  possible  a  careful  player  might  lead  the  seven,  and 
with  still  lower  cards  where  is  he  to  stop  ?  The  knot  is 
cut  by  the  very  simple  and  uniform  rule  of  leading  the 
fourth  best,  without  reference  to  the  possibility  of  its  being 
a  card  of  protection. 

"  The  more  the  system  of   leading,  developed  at   pp. 


The  result  of  the  long-continued  efforts  of 
**  Cavendish  "  and  his  American  coadjutor, 
Mr.  Trist,  may  be  seen  in  the  later  editions  of 
the  work  here  quoted  from,  which  present 
examples  of  energy,  industry,  and  ingenuity 
in  resfard  to  the  s^ame  which  have  never  been 
equalled  or  approached  since  the  time  of 
Hoyle. 

For  it  must  be  explained  that  these  altera- 
tions, in  their  later  features,  have  been  of 
such  a  nature  as  to  influence  materially  the 
general  details  of  play,  and  to  suggest  con- 
comitant changes  in  views  and  proceedings  in- 
directly connected  with  them,  so  as  to  utilize 
in  the  best  manner  the  advantages  of  the  new 
provisions.     And  to  such  an  extent  does  this 


DEVELOPMENTS  1 49 

reach  that,  although  the  main  principles  of 
the  Philosophical  Game  are  still  adhered  to, 
the  modes  of  applying  them  become  much 
changed. 

There  is  also  no  doubt  that  the  study  of 
these  changes,  in  the  hands  of  the  masters  of 
the  art,  have  led  to  the  more  thorough  in- 
vestigation of  scientific  play  generally,  inde- 
pendent of  the  signalling,  as  may  be  seen  b}^ 
many  late  discussions  and  articles  in  the 
American  "  Whist "  journal  and  in  the  Eng- 
lish FiM: 

And,  moreover,  all  this  labour,  great  as  it 
has  been,  has  not  yet  approached  finality,  as 
we  shall  see  hereafter  that  the  march  of  Evo- 
lution has  not  yet  been  stayed. 

1  Notice  in  particular  some  mathematical  articles  of  very  high 
class  in  the  Field  of  1893  and  1894,  by  Mr.  Whiteld  and  a  writer 
signing  himself  C.  H.  P.  C.  It  is  right  to  say  that  the  "card" 
department  of  this  journal,  under  the  editorship  of  "  Cavendish," 
has  been  the  great  repository  of  Whist  intelligence  and  discussion 
ever  since  the  game  acquired  any  literary  interest. 


CHAPTER   IX 

WHIST    IN    AMERICA 

It  will  be  easily  understood  from  the  fore- 
going- chapters  that  the  latest  phase  of  Whist 
Evolution,  which  we  are  now  treating  of,  con- 
sists of  the  previous  Philosophical  Game,  ex- 
tended by  a  large  augmentation  of  the  pow- 
ers of  communication  between  the  partners, 
and  by  many  inferences  and  improvements 
of  play,  consequent  upon  and  arising  out  of 
them.  By  these  extensions  the  two  players 
are  brought  much  nearer  than  before  to  the 
ideal  condition  of  knowing  each  other's  hands ; 
and  so  of  playing  the  joint  combination  to 
the  best  possible  advantage. 

The  new  system  has  not,  as  a  whole,  been 
yet  adopted  largely  in  England ;  but  to  make 
amends,  it  has  been  received  with  remarkable 
earnestness  and  enthusiasm  in  the  United 
States  of  America,  where  it  may  indeed  be 
said  to  have  become  the  standard  form  of 
game.  And  as  there  are  many  points  con- 
nected with  its  reception  and  practice  there 
which  are  novel  and  interesting,  and  are  quite 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  I  51 

worthy  of  the  attention  of  Whist  players  gen- 
erally, it  is  proposed  to  devote  this  chapter 
to  their  description. 

WHIST    CUSTOiMS  ;    SCORING,    ETC. 

In  the  first  place  something  may  be  said 
about  the  American  Whist  customs,  which 
differ  in  some  respects  from  those  in  Eng- 
land, particularly  as  regards  scoring. 

In  the  original  English  Whist  of  Hoyle  the 
winning  score  for  each  game  was  ten.  Ev- 
ery trick  above  six  counted  one,  the  posses- 
sion of  three  honours  counted  two ;  and  four 
honours  counted  four.  This  was  called  Long 
Whist ;  and  sometimes,  when  the  honours  ran 
even,  a  game  might  be  spun  out  for  a  long 
time,  and  the  longer  it  took  the  less  gain  was 
made  by  the  winners. 

There  is  no  denying  that  the  in-born  pro- 
pensities of  the  genus  homo  as  a  gambling  ani- 
mal appeared  in  the  game  of  Whist  as  well 
as  in  many  other  gentlemanly  amusements : 
the  long  game  was  found  too  slow  to  allow 
the  free  circulation  of  mone}^  and  it  was  cut 
in  two,  producing  Short  Whist,  as  described 
on  page  49.  Many  Whist  enthusiasts  pro- 
tested against  the  undue  preponderance  of 
luck  caused  by  the  full  retention  of  the  value 
of  the  honours  with  a  score  of  only  five  (allow- 


152  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

ing  more  than  double  the  winning  score  to 
be  made  in  one  fine  hand),  but  in  vain  ;  the  ex- 
citement of  the  turns  of  fortune  was  preferred 
to  the  milder  stimulant  of  skill  in  play,  and 
Short  Whist  has  been  found  unassailable  in 
the  public  Whist  circles  in  England. ^ 

Now  without  shewing  our  American  Cousin 


1  Some  curious  ideas  prevail  even  among  the  best  players,  as 
to  luck  at  Whist.  The  most  powerful  intellect,  the  most  profound 
science,  is  not  proof  against  superstition  ;  and  it  is  curious  to  see 
how  fastidious  even  the  best  players  will  be  about  the  choice 
of  seats,  or  cards,  or  counters,  or  about  other  things  which 
can  have  as  little  influence  on  their  fortunes  as  the  changes  of 
the  moon.  Some  will  insist  on  being  the  first  to  touch  a  black 
deuce  turned  up  ;  some  attach  good  omens  to  the  hinges  of  the 
table  ;  some  think  it  advantageous  to  sit  north  and  south  ;  and 
so  on. 

One  cannot  believe  that  any  other  than  a  born  fool  (and  he 
could  not  be  a  Whist  player)  seriously  believes  such  things  are 
of  any  real  importance,  and  the  persons  doing  them  are  often 
unmercifully  bantered  for  their  folly  ;  but  still  they  persevere, 
and  it  has  often  been  a  great  puzzle  how  such  an  anomaly  can  be 
explained.  We  believe  the  explanation  lies  in  a  simple  applica- 
tion of  experience  in  chance  results.  Toss  up  a  penny  a  great 
number  of  times  and  record  the  results  ;  you  will  find  that  you 
do  not  get  heads  and  tails  alternately,  but  that  there  is  an  almost 
constant  tendency  to  produce  runs  on  one  particular  chance  ; 
you  will  often  find  heads  or  tails  repeated  3,  4,  5,  or  more 
times  running.  Now,  as  the  tossing  of  a  penny  is  an  analogous 
case  to  the  winning  or  losing  of  a  rubber  at  Whist  (which  is  very 
nearly  an  even  chance)  people  lay  hold  of  the  salient  fact  of  the 
tendency  to  a  run,  and  apply  it  to  this  case.  They  argue  that 
as  the  head,  after  coming  once,  may  be  repeated  several  times, 
so  the  seats  or  cards  which  have  won  once  may  win  several  times 
running.  Of  course  the  reasoning  is  fallacious,  as  the  reasoners 
know  full  well,  but  it  is  their  only  justification,  and  as  the  prac- 
tices are  very  harmless,  and  are  indeed  expressly  provided  for 
by  the  laws,  one  need  not  be  angry  with  them. 


WHIST   IN    AMERICA  1 53 

the  slightest  disrespect,  it  is  allowable  to  say 
that  the  inhabitants  of  his  hemisphere  have 
not  been  usually  considered  insensible  to  the 
attractiveness  of  the  fickle  goddess  : — and 
one  would  have  thought  that  when  such  a 
glorious  mode  of  wooing  her  was  made  avail- 
able to  him,  as  that  offered  by  the  noble  in- 
vention of  Short  Whist  with  full  honours,  he 
would  have  embraced  it  gladly.  But  by  one 
of  those  odd  inconsistencies  which  occasion- 
ally seize  nations  as  well  as  individuals,  the 
Americans,  almost  with  one  accord,  have 
cried  out  against  the  luck  in  the  Short  Game, 
and  sought  means  to  increase  the  power  of 
the  element  of  play,  by  declining  to  count 
the  honours  and  making  the  score  by  tricks 
only. 

We  learn  1  that  in  the  ordinary  American 
social  clubs,  where  Whist  is  not  the  chief  ob- 
ject, but  is  merely  an  accidental  recreation, 
it  is  customary  to  play,  not  rubbers,  but  single 
games,  in  which  five  is  the  winning  score. 
The  points  are  gained  by  tricks  only,  hon- 
ours not  counting  at  all.  The  stakes  vary 
from  one  or  two  to  five  dollars  per  game  ; 
and  when  five  points  are  scored  by  either 
party  the  game  is  w^on,  no  allow^ance  being 

1  "  Cavendish,"  after  his  return  from  the  States,  gave  a  general 
description  of  American  Whist  in  the  Field  of  December  9  and  16, 

1893. 


154  LATTER-DAY    IMPROVEMENTS 

made  for  any  points  that  have  been  scored 
on  the  opposite  side.  Thus  when  I  and  my 
partner  have  scored,  say  four,  if  the  other 
party  make  five,  our  four  are  entirel}'  lost, 
doing  us  no  good  at  all. 

In  the  Whist  Clubs  proper,  however,  es- 
tablished for  Whist  onl\^  (and  generally 
known  as  League  Clubs),  a  different  form  of 
scoring  is  used.  In  this,  also,  honours  do 
not  count,  the  only  score  is  by  tricks,  each 
trick  above  six  counting  one  point.  Single 
games  are  played,  the  winning  score  being 
seven  ;  the  value  of  the  game  is  determined  by 
deducting  the  losers'  score  from  seven.  The 
reason  for  choosing  the  number  seven  is  that 
this  is  the  maximum  which  can  be  obtained 
in  one  hand.  In  these  clubs,  although  money 
stakes  are  not  forbidden,  it  is  unusual  to  play 
for  money,  as  the  Executive  of  the  League 
wish  that  the  play  should  be  for  the  love  of 
the  game  alone. 

Whist  played  in  either  of  the  above  modes 
is  called  "  Straight  Whist." 

It  will  be  obvious  that  this  mode  of  scoring, 
by  tricks  only,  eliminates  a  large  portion  of 
the  luck,  reducing  it,  in  fact,  to  the  varia- 
tions in  the  trick-making  capabilities  of  the 
hands,  and  leaving  to  the  players  the  oppor- 
tunity of  exercising  their  skill  in  making  the 
most  of  such  hands  as  the}^  receive. 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  1 55 

DUPLICATE    WHIST. 

But  the  Americans  were  not  satisfied  with 
this ;  so  earnest  was  their  wish  to  magnify 
the  importance  of  skill  that  they  resolved,  if 
possible,  to  introduce  tests  which  would  tend 
to  eliminate  luck  altogether.  For  this  pur- 
pose they  reverted  to  a  plan  which  had  been 
used  for  the  same  purpose  at  a  very  early 
period.  We  have  mentioned  in  Chapter  V. 
a  "  Little  School "  of  Whist  students  who 
endeavoured  to  get  out  some  accurate  Whist 
data.  The  "  value  of  skill  "  was  one  of  these, 
and  they  contrived  a  mode  of  experiment, 
which  was  described  by  Mr.  Henry  Jones, 
one  of  their  number,  in  a  letter  to  BclTs  Life, 
March  6,  1857,  "^^^^  signed  ''  Experto  Crede." 
This  was  the  first  conti-ibution  to  Whist 
literature  ever  written  by  an  author  after- 
wards so  famous,  and  as  the  idea  was  in- 
genious and  useful,  we  may  give  a  few  ex- 
tracts from  it.^     He  says  : 

The  scheme,  besides  possessing  the  greatest  simplicity, 
almost  entirely  eliminates  luck.  ...  In  each  of  two 
separate  apartments  a  Whist  table  is  formed,  each  table 
being  composed  of  two  good  players  against  two  confess- 
edly inferior  ones.  A  hand  is  played  at  one  table  ;  the 
same  cards  are  then  conveyed  to  the   other  table  and  the 

1  It  has  been  reprinted  entire  in  the  Milwaukee  /r/^/j/ Journal, 
May,  1893. 


156  LATTER-DAY    IMPROVEMENTS 

hand  is  played  over  again,  tlie  inferior  players  now  having 
the  cards  which  the  good  players  held,  the  order  of  the 
hands  of  course  being  preserved.  The  difference  in  the 
scores  will  manifestly  be  twice  the  advantage  due  to  play 
in  that  hand. 

It  is  necessary,  however,  to  bear  in  mind  that  chance  is 
not  altogether  eliminated,  inasmuch  as  bad  play  might, 
and  frequently  does  succeed  ;  again  some  hands  offer  a 
greater  scope  than  others  for  the  exercise  of  talent.  Still 
all  that  portion  of  luck  (by  far  the  largest)  arising  from 
good  and  bad  cards  is,  by  this  method,  done  away  with. 

This  contrivance  was  further  described  in 
the  ''  Philosophy  of  Whist,"  1883.  A  few  years 
afterwards  it  was  again  brought  forward  in  the 
Field,  and  appears  to  have  been  seized  upon  by 
the  American  players.  But  it  was  changed  in 
its  plan.  In  the  original  there  were  two  pairs 
of  good  and  two  pairs  of  inferior  players,  the 
object  being  only  to  find  the  difference  be- 
tween good  and  inferior  play  generally.  But 
in  the  American  game  the  object  has  corre- 
sponded more  nearly  with  ''matches"  or  com- 
petitions at  chess,  cricket,  lawn  tennis,  etc., 
its  object  being  to  test  the  comparative  skill 
of  players  against  each  other. 

The  arrangements  for  this  purpose  are  in- 
genious and  complicated,  and  have  been  the 
subject    of   much    study. ^     The  principle   of 

1  The  most  usual  arrangement  has  been  excellently  described 
in  "Cavendish's"  article  already  alluded  to.  Mr.  R.  F.  Foster 
has  also  treated  of  the  subject  at  considerable  length. 


WHIST   IN    AMERICA  1 57 

the  original  invention  is  applied  by  causing 
any  hand  for  four  persons  to  be  pla3'ed  in 
"  duplicate,"  or  "  replayed  "  (or,  as  the  Ameri- 
cans call  it,  *'  overplayed  "),  with  changes  in 
the  players ;  after  which,  according  to  suit- 
able arrangements,  and  by  proper  scoring, 
the  comparative  skill  of  the  different  play- 
ers may  be  estimated  by  the  results  ob- 
tained. 

This  may  be  carried  out  in  several  differ- 
ent ways.  For  example,  two  clubs  may  be 
matched  against  each  other,  each  bringing  to 
the  contest  a  large  number  of  chosen  players. 
Many  such  matches  have  been,  and  continue 
to  be  played  in  America;  and  an  example  of 
one  of  the  most  celebrated  is  given  in  Ap- 
pendix D  to  this  work. 

But  a  more  usual  arrangement  is  to  match 
a  smaller  number  of  players,  called  a  ''  team," 
against  another  team  of  an  equal  number. 
The  following  sketch  description  of  the 
simplest  elements  of  such  an  arrangement 
may  probably  suffice  to  give  an  idea  how 
it  is  managed. 

Say  that  a  team  of  four  players,  A  B  C  D, 
which  we  will  call  the  "  New  York  team," 
are  to  play  against  a  ''  Brooklyn  team,"  W  X 
Y  Z. 

Two  tables  are  formed.  At  the  first  table 
A  and  B  play  against  W  and  X  ;  at  the  other 


158  LATTER-DAY    IMPROVEMENTS 

table  C  and  D  play  against  Y  and  Z.  A  hand 
is  played  at  the  first  table,  and  we  will  say 
that  A  B  mark  seven  tricks  and  W  X  six 
tricks. 

The  same  hand  is  then  taken  to  the  other 
table  to  be  "  overplayed  "  or  "  duplicated," 
when  the  cards  previously  held  by  the  New 
York  players,  A  B,  are  given  to  the  Brook- 
lyn players,  Y  Z,  and  those  previously  played 
by  the  Brooklyns,  W  X,  are  given  to  the 
New  Yorkers,  C  D.  Suppose  that  here  C  D 
make  seven  tricks  and  Y  Z  make  six  tricks ; 
then  on  the  sum  of  the  two  playings 

The  New  York  team  make    .     .     .     14  tricks. 
The  Brooklyn  team  make      .     .     .      12 -tricks. 

If  the  players  were  of  equal  strength  we 
might  expect  that  each  team  would  make 
thirteen,  so  that  the  result  shows  the  New 
York  team  to  be  the  stronger,  as  regards 
the  play  of  that  hand. 

This  single  experiment  would  be  of  little 
value,  by  reason  of  many  interposing  ele- 
ments, but  the  effect  of  these  may  be  largely 
diminished  by  multiplying  the  hands  played 
and  overpla3^ed.  The  proper  scoring  and 
final  combination  of  the  whole  would  thus 
give  a  fair  comparative  idea  of  the  respec- 
tive degrees  of  skill  exerted  by  the  two 
teams  in  question. 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  1 59 

It  is  on  these  principles  that  the  competi- 
tive matches  and  tournaments  are  now  car- 
ried on:  and  indeed  the  duplicate  game  is  be- 
coming so  much  approved  in  the  American 
League  Clubs  as  almost  to  be  their  Standard 
Whist  form.  And  when  the  play  of  the 
hands  is  fully  and  accurately  recorded  (as  is 
now  frequently  done),  the  record  gives  excel- 
lent data  for  study  as  to  the  effect  of  differ- 
ent modes  of  play. 

Mr.  Foster  has  carried  the  principle  of 
duplication  farther  by  making  it  applicable 
to  play  on  a  smaller  scale,  say  in  domestic 
circles.  Suppose  for  example  there  are  four 
players  of  a  family;  one  pair  of  them,  A  B, 
playing  in  partnership,  may  agree  to  match 
themselves  against  the  other  pair,  Y  Z,  in 
the  following  way  : 

A  hand  is  played  by  A  B  against  Y  Z,  and 
the  number  of  tricks  on  each  side  are  noted. 
The  cards  are  then  carefully  put  aside,  and 
on  a  future  sitting,  when  it  may  be  assumed 
that  the  players  have  ceased  to  remember 
anything  material  about  the  hands,  the  same 
cards  are  taken  again  by  the  same  four  per- 
sons but  reversing  the  holders — i.e.,  Y  Z  are 
now  given  the  cards  which  A  B  had  before. 
A  comparison  of  the  results  of  many  hands 
so  played  will  give  an  indication  of  the 
comparative  skill ;    provided,  of  course,  that 


l6o  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

a  good  memory  does  not  vitiate  them,  on 
which  doubts  may  arise.^ 

By  other  arrangements  the  skill  of  single 
individuals  may  be  compared,  but  this  pro- 
cess involves  some  complicated  provisions, 
for  which  Mr.  Foster's  book  may  be  referred 
to. 

"  Cavendish  "  has  expressed  the  opinion 
that,  although  duplicate  Whist  is  the  most 
suitable  for  playing  in  matches  or  tourna- 
ments, it  involves  a  great  strain  on  the  play- 
ers, under  which  Whist  loses  its  significance 
as  a  pastime  and  becomes  a  toil.  He  thinks 
that  on  the  whole  the  "  Straight  Whist  "  of 
seven  up  without  honours,  is  the  most  per- 
fect mode  of  scoring  for  intellectual  players 
that  has  yet  been  devised.  But  the  English 
Short  Whist  with  full  honours  will  probably 
long  remain  a  favourite  in  its  own  country. 

THE    AMERICAN    WHIST    LEAGUE. 

The  Philosophical  Game  of  Whist  having 
been  originally  so  well  received  in  America, 
it  may  easily  be  understood  that  the  subse- 
quent participation  of  an  American  authority, 
Mr.  Trist,  in  its  latest  development,  gave  it  a 
further  patriotic  interest ;  and  as  the  improve- 

1  Apparatus  for  this  experiment  is  sold  by  Messrs.  Mudie,  sta- 
tioners, in  Coventry  Street,  Piccadilly. 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  l6l 

ments  became  chronicled  in  the  later  edi- 
tions of  *'  Cavendish,"  they  continued  to  add 
to  the  popularity  of  the  advanced  views. 

Many  Whist  clubs  were  formed  in  various 
parts  of  the  States,  and  the  modes  of  encour- 
aging the  study  and  improvement  of  personal 
skill  were  so  successful,  that  in  1890,  a  pro- 
posal was  made  to  get  up,  in  imitation  of  the 
habit  in  other  games  of  skill,  a  Whist  Toiii'na- 
vicnt ;  where  the  members  of  the  clubs  might 
meet  together  and  compete  for  prizes. 

The  proposal  was  well  received  by  clubs 
throughout  the  country  ;  but,  in  the  dis- 
cussions that  followed,  it  soon  became  evi- 
dent that  the  prevailing  opinion  among 
American  Whist  players  favoured  the  idea 
of  holding  a  Whist  Congress  to  consider  this 
and  other  questions.  Accordingly  invita- 
tions were  sent  out  to  the  various  clubs  to  at- 
tend a  congress  to  be  held  for  four  days  in 
April,  1 89 1,  in  Milwaukee  (where  a  good 
Whist  club  had  been  established  since  1875), 
"  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  an  associa- 
tion of  American  Whist  Clubs  ;  of  formulat- 
ing and  adopting  a  code  of  rules  and  regula- 
tions suitable  to  the  American  game ;  of 
discussing  and,  if  practicable,  of  adopting  and 
promulgating  a  declaration  of  principles  as 
to  methods  of  play ;  and  of  instituting  a 
match  or  series  of  matches,  to  be  played  un- 
II 


1 62  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

der  such  rules  as  the  Congress  may  pre- 
scribe." 

The  Congress  was  held,  and  it  resulted  in 
the  organization  of  a  permanent  body  called 
The  American  Whist  League.  It  was  to  con- 
sist of  an  association  of  local  Whist  clubs, 
representatives  of  which  were  to  meet  in 
congress  in  different  towns  once  every 
year.  The  President  chosen  for  the  first 
Congress  was  Mr.  Eugene  S.  Elliott,  a 
gentleman  identified  with  the  local  Whist 
society,  and  thirty-six  clubs  sent  in  their  ad- 
hesion. 

The  first  work  was  to  settle  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  League  and  to  formulate  a  Code 
of  Laws  suited  to  the  American  game.  The 
mode  of  scoring  was  also  determined  on. 
Matches  were  then  arranged  and  playing 
took  place  on  the  several  days,  the  records 
being  afterwards  published  in  the  Official 
Report. 

At  this  Congress  Mr.  Henry  Jones  ("Cav- 
endish ")  and  Mr.  N.  B.  Trist,  of  New  Or- 
leans, were  elected  honorary  members  of  the 
League. 

The  Congress  attracted  wide  attention. 
The  immediate  result  was  to  stimulate  the 
interest  in  Whist  throughout  the  States,  and 
many  social  organizations,  that  had  been 
gradually  drifting  away  from  the  knowledge 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  1 63 

and  practice  of  the  game,  began  its  study 
again,  while  the  number  of  new  clubs  formed 
was  legion. 

The  Second  Congress  of  the  League  was 
held  at  New  York  for  a  week  in  July,  1892. 
It  comprised  forty-eight  clubs,  delegates  of 
which  attended;  in  all,  310  persons.  The 
playing  of  matches  was  pursued  on  a  lar- 
ger scale  and  under  more  explicit  and  for- 
mal regulations  than  before,  and  prizes  and 
trophies  were  competed  for. 

The  laws  were  again  revised  and  im- 
proved. 

The  Third  Congress  was  held  at  Chicago 
from  the  19th  to  23d  June,  1893.  It  brought 
together  more  prominent  players  than  either 
of  the  former  ones,  and  demonstrated  a  ma- 
terial advance  in  the  methods  of  playing. 
The  work  consisted  mostly  in  perfecting 
what  the  two  former  Congresses  had  begun, 
including  a  further  revision  of  the  Laws.  We 
give  a  copy  hereafter,  as  they  differ  ma- 
terially in  some  points  from  the  authorized 
English  Code.  Mr.  Henr}-  Jones  and  Mr. 
Trist  were  present  and  received  special  hon- 
ours. General  Drayson  and  Dr.  Pole  were 
elected  honorary  members.  Twenty -three 
States  were  represented  in  the  League  by 
clubs  in  fifty  cities.  A  lady  delegate  at- 
tended on  this  occasion  for  the  first  time,  and 


l64  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

acted  as  assistant  secretary.  The  matches 
played  were  esteemed  very  good. 

Mr.  Jones,  on  this  visit  to  America,  took 
the  opportunity  of  making  a  tour  of  some 
months  through  the  United  States,  during 
which  he  was  hospitably  received  by  the  best 
Whist  clubs  and  players,  and  much  benefit 
resulted  from  the  intercommunication. 

The  Fourth  Congress  was  held  in  Phila- 
delphia from  the  226.  to  the  26th  of  May, 
1894.  There  were  then  represented,  as  at- 
tached to  the  League,  ninety-five  Whist  clubs, 
with  a  membership  of  upwards  of  14,000  per- 
sons. These  clubs  were  situated  in  sixty-four 
cities  and  towns,  belonging  to  twenty-three 
States  and  the  District  of  Columbia.  The 
Mayor  of  Philadelphia  presided,  and  in  his 
opening  speech  amused  his  audience  by  an- 
nouncing that  "  the  Philadelphia  police  had 
been  specially  provided  with  copies  of 
'  Cavendish,'  and  were  instructed  to  settle 
all  disputes  in  accordance  with  recognized 
American  leads."  The  number  of  players 
who  actually  attended  and  took  part  in  the 
proceedings  was  about  400.^ 

1  Among  these  was  a  gentleman  of  good  position,  a  Mr.  Henry 
K.  Dillard,  who  was  totally  blind.  He  lost  his  sight  by  disease 
about  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  ago,  but,  having  been  fond 
of  Whist,  he  perfected  arrangements  by  which  he  could  con- 
tinue his  practice.  He  uses  cards  pricked  by  stencil  in  such 
a  way  that  by  his  delicate  touch  he  is  able  to  distinguish  them 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  16$ 

The  matches  played  at  this  Congress  ap- 
pear to  have  excited  more  than  usual  inter- 
est. The  League  was  well  received  by  the 
city  ;  all  the  leading  clubs,  and  many  other 
public  institutions,  were  thrown  open  to  the 
visitors,  and  much  private  hospitality  was 
shown. 

The  next  Congress  was  fixed  to  be  at  Min- 
neapolis in  1895. 

The  playing  of  "  Matches,"  or  "  Whist 
Tournaments,"  is  such  a  novelty,  and  at  the 
same  time  is  such  a  striking  illustration  of 
the  enthusiasm  with  which  the  game  is  taken 
up  in  the  United  States,  that  we  publish,  in 
the  Appendix,  an  account,  taken  from  the 
VVJiist  Journal  of  August,  1892,  of  one  of  the 
most  important,  viz.,  for  the  Hamilton  Whist 
Trophy,  at  the  Congress  held  in  that  year. 
The  account  will  also  illustrate  the  nature 
and  application  of  the  duplicate  system  of 
play. 

rapidly  and  correctly,  and  all  that  he  then  requires  is  that  each 
of  the  other  players  shall  name  the  card  he  plays.  The  sten- 
cil marks  are  so  slight  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  fair  use  of 
the  cards  by  the  other  players  ;  but,  obviously,  an  ordinary  pack 
might  be  used  by  his  simply  getting  his  own  cards  changed  by 
some  bystander,  for  marked  ones  of  the  same  pattern.  He  is 
already  more  than  an  average  player,  and  is  said  to  hold  his  own 
with  any.  Many  of  the  leading  delegates  played  with  him,  and 
were  unanimous  in  their  expressions  of  astonishment  at  the  cor- 
rectness of  his  game  and  the  rapidity  with  which  he  played. 


l66  LATTER-DAY    IMPROVEMENTS 


PROFESSIONAL    TEACHING    OF    WHIST. 

Another  evidence  of  the  earnestness  of  the 
Americans  in  the  game  has  been  the  fact 
that  they  have  revived  and  encouraged  pro- 
fessional tcacJiing,  in  the  manner  practised  by 
Hoyle. 

Nothing  had  been  done  since  his  day  ;  but 
in  1 8/ I,  when  the  author  of  the  present  work 
had  occasion  to  describe  the  Philosophical 
System  he  inserted  the  following  note  {Quar- 
terly Review,  page  69) : 

Why  cannot  Whist  be  taught  professionally,  like  chess 
and  billiards  ?  Hoyle  set  the  example,  at  a  guinea  a  les- 
son, and  there  is  now  much  more  scope  for  instruction 
than  there  was  in  his  day,  from  the  game  being  reduced 
to  so  much  more  systematic  and  teachable  a  form. 

It  is  quite  as  practicable  as  the  teaching  of 
drawing  or  music,  or  any  ordinary  accom- 
plishment, and  the  Americans  have  made  the 
experiment  with  great  success. 

It  is  curious  that  the  teaching  began  among 
the  fair  sex.  About  1886  a  little  circle  of  la- 
dies, prominent  in  the  Society  of  Milwaukee 
(a  city  often  distinguished  in  Whist  matters), 
despairing  of  solving  for  themselves  the  mys- 
teries of"  Cavendish,"  sought  aid  from  others 
of  their  sex  who  had  been  more  fortunate. 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  1 6/ 

And  this  led  to  regular  paid  instruction.  The 
pioneers  in  the  venture  were  a  Miss  Kate 
Wheelock,  of  Milwaukee,  and  a  Miss  Gardi- 
ner, of  Boston.  The  first-named  lady  has  since 
earned  a  very  wide  reputation.  Her  classes 
in  one  season  numbered  nearly  150  mem- 
bers, and  she  has  received  so  many  applica- 
tions from  various  towns  that  she  has  been 
obliged  to  make  periodical  tours  to  satisfy 
them.  She  has  turned  out  many  distin- 
guished pupils,  and  is  known  by  the  name  of 
the  "  Whist  Queen."  A  Mrs.  M.  Jenks  is  also 
a  celebrated  teacher,  who  has  advocated 
Whist-teaching  in  schools  ;  and  many  others 
are  so  engaged.  Some  of  these  ladies  have 
visited  London,  and  have  given  a  high  im- 
pression of  their  abilities.  The  terms  charged 
by  the  best  teachers  are  two  dollars  per  les- 
son for  each  person  in  a  class  of  four,  and 
the  income  of  one  teacher  is  given  at  the  rate 
of  $150  (;^3o)  per  week.  Many  classes  are 
said  to  exist  in  every  large  town,  and  the 
pupils  often  belong  to  the  best  society. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  while  accomplished 
lady  Whist  players  are  so  rare  in  England, 
in  America  they  abound  ;  they  take  part  in 
the  League  matches  and  are  said  to  hold  their 
own  among  the  best  club  members.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  since  the  game  has 
been  reduced  to  more  systematic  principles 


1 68  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

it  has  become  more  liked  by  the  fair  sex.  In- 
deed, the  attainment  of  this  was  one  of  the 
advantages  early  claimed  for  the  Philosophi- 
cal Game. 

In  speaking  of  Whist  instruction  we  must 
not  omit  the  mention  of  Mr.  R.  F.  Foster, 
of  Baltimore,  who  has  not  only  been  a  high- 
ly successful  teacher,  but  has  contrived  an 
ingenious  arrangement  of  '^  Self  -  Playing 
Cards  "  to  aid  in  the  study. 

AMERICAN    WHIST    LITERATURE. 

It  was  natural,  as  Whist  had  become  so 
popular  in  the  States,  that  it  should  be  taken 
up  by  the  Press.  There  had  for  some  time 
been  "  Whist  Columns  "  in  the  newspapers, 
but  after  the  first  Congress  it  Avas  thought 
desirable  to  start  a  special  organ  for  it.  Ac- 
cordingly in  June,  1891,  there  was  published 
in  Milwaukee  the  first  number  of  a  handsome 
large  quarto  periodical  entitled :  Whist,  a 
Monthly  Journal  devoted  to  the  inter- 
ests OF  THE  Game.  x\nd  on  the  occasion  of 
the  Second  Congress  this  was  adopted  as  the 
accredited  orsfan  of  the  American  Whist 
League.  It  has  appeared  regularl}^  since,  and 
contains  matter  of  much  interest; — notices  of 
the  Congress  proceedings  ;  essays  on  all  kinds 
of  topics  affecting  the  game  ;   contributions 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  169 

and  letters  from  Whist  writers,  and  Whist 
players;  portraits  and  biographies;  examples 
of  hands  and  interesting  situations ;  discus- 
sions of  difficult  and  controverted  points ; 
club  news  and  announcements;  and  gener- 
ally a  monthly  repository  of  Whist  jottings. 
The  advantage  of  such  a  journal  in  keeping 
up  the  interest  in  the  game  is  highly  appre- 
ciated, and  the  author  of  the  present  work 
has  to  acknowledge  much  information,  and 
many  extracts  from  it,  in  regard  to  Whist  in 
America.^  The  journal  is  ably  conducted  by 
Mr.  Cassius  M.  Paine,  a  well-known  Whist 
player  in  Milwaukee. 

But  the  Americans,  not  to  be  behind-hand 
in  the  literature  of  Whist,  have  also  produced 
more  serious  and  lengthy  writings  upon  it. 
Passing  over  some  earlier  and  smaller  pub- 
lications, the  first  of  any  pretension  was  a 
"Whist  Manual "  published  in  1890,  by  Mr. 
Foster,  adapted  to  his  system  of  instruc- 
tion. He  has  since  written  another  work 
containing  a  full  description  of  Duplicate 
Whist  and  an  essay  on  ''  Whist  Strategy." 

In  the  same  year  appeared,  "  A  Practical 
Guide  to  Whist,  by  the  latest  Scientific 
Methods.    By    Fisher    Ames."    New    York, 

»  The  "  Whist  "  Journal  will  be  found  at  the  British  Museum, 
and  may  be  subscribed  for  at  Messrs.  Mudies',  15  Coventry 
Street,  Piccadilly. 


I/O  LATTER-DAY    IMPROVEMENTS 

Scribner's  Sons  (Second  edition,  1891).  This 
is  a  handy  little  book  of  only  about  one 
hundred  pages.  It  begins  with  the  follow- 
ing sentence : 

The  Theory  of  Modern  Scientific  Whist  and  the  argu- 
ments upon  which  it  is  based,  are  now  so  generally  well 
known  and  understood  that  no  re-statement  of  them  is 
deemed  necessary  here. 

In  accordance  with  this  notice  the  book 
only  professes  ''  to  give  the  rules  and  direc- 
tions for  play  in  the  various  contingencies  of 
a  hand,  according  to  the  best  authorities." 
And  this  it  does  very  fairly,  adopting  the 
American  Leads  which  '''  having  recently  been 
greatly  developed  and  improved  by  Trist, 
''  Cavendish,"  and  others  into  a  complete, 
simple,  and  harmonious  system,  have  entirely 
revolutionized  the  game." 

In  1894  appeared  another  pretty  little  book 
by  Mr.  Charles  E.  Coffin, ''  The  Gist  of  Whist," 
containing  useful  information,  theoretical  and 
practical,  in  a  compact  form. 

But  the  great  American  work,  which  must 
be  hereafter  regarded  as  the  jie^a  jSi^Xlov  of 
Whist,  Avas  published  about  the  middle  of 
1894.     It  is  entitled 

Modern  Scientific  Whist.  The  Principles  of  the  Mod- 
ern Game  Analyzed  and  Extended.     Illustrated  by  over 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  I?! 

sixty  critical  endings  and  annotated  games,  from  actual 
play.     By  C.  D.  P.  Hamilton.     New  York  :  Brentano. 

The  author  belongs  to  the  Pioneer  Club, 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  is  well  known  as  one  of 
the  leading  experts  in  the  American  Whist 
world  :  his  work  amply  shows  his  acquaint- 
ance with  the  modern  American  form  of 
game. 

It  is  indeed  a ''  big  book,"  being  a  large  oc- 
tavo volume,  8  inches  long,  6  inches  wide, 
and  ij  inches  thick,  weighing  above  2  lbs. 
There  are  609  pages,  of  a  size  taking  about 
360  words  of  type:  there  are  32  chapters,  19 
elaborate  tables,  and  84  "  Pertinent  Maxims." 
And  it  is  illustrated  by  about  470  diagrams, 
many  of  them  containing  20,  30,  or  40  cards 
each,  all  placed  in  proper  positions  for  study. 

The  author,  like  Mr.  Fisher  Ames,  takes 
all  the  previous  knowledge  about  Whist  for 
granted.  He  begins  at  once  with  "  The  first 
hand  or  lead,"  and  although  he  speaks  in  his 
title  of  ''  scientific  "  Whist,  and  of  "  analyzing 
principles,"  his  book  seems  to  be  simply  an 
enormous  budget  of  instructions  for  the  prac- 
tical details  of  play.  He  adopts,  of  course, 
all  the  new  latter-day  modes  of  communica- 
tion between  the  partners,  but  he  largely  ex- 
tends the  system  ;  he  follows  up  the  influence 
this  has  on  the  general  play  of  all  the  hands, 


1/2  LATTER-DAY    IMPROVEMENTS 

and  shows  how  great  this  influence  has  been. 
Indeed,  he  says  (pp.  70,  160),  "  The  new  order 
of  American  leads  has  revolutionized  the 
game  and  rendered  obsolete  to  a  great  extent 
the  text-books  of  the  day." 

He  points  out  in  several  places  the  magni- 
tude of  the  task  a  learner  has  before  him 
who  would  desire  to  become  a  proficient  in 
the  new  American  game.     For  example  : 

In  the  play  of  a  single  hand  at  Whist  there  are  so  many 
things  to  note  and  so  many  inferences  to  draw  that  few 
players  ever  become  very  proficient.  Most  people  who 
play  Whist  seem  to  prefer  to  rest  satisfied  with  an  informal 
introduction,  as  it  were,  to  the  cards,  and  never  get  upon 
intimate  terms  with  them.     (Pp.  24,  25.) 

The  correct  management  of  trumps  is  by  far  the  most 
difficult  thing  in  Whist  strateg\%  and  few  players  ever  be- 
come proficient  in  this  regard.     (P.  247.) 

Such  conditions  as  these  and  hundreds  of  others  enter 
into  the  matter  of  finesse  in  trumps  and  either  modify  it  or 
render  finessing  out  of  the  question.  The  varieties  of  fi- 
nesse are  infinite.     (Pp.  259,  336.) 

You  cannot  lay  down  unvarying  rules  applicable  to  the 
finer  points  of  Whist.  There  are  thousands  of  fine  points 
— the  delicate  touches — that  the  books  may  never  reach — 
the  really  splendid  things  you  must  learn  from  practice 
with  fine  players.     (P.  378.) 

To  what  extent  this  most  elaborate  book 
may  serve  the  purpose  of  teaching  Whist  niay 
probably  be  better  understood  in  America 
than  in  England.     It  would  appear  to  bring 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  1/3 

the  mode  of  instruction  back  to  something 
like  the  form  adopted  by  Hojle  (see  ante, 
pages  56  and  foUowing),  whose  teaching  con- 
sisted almost  entirely  of- similar  specific  direc- 
tions for  practical  play. 

It  is  a  sign  of  the  uncertainty  and  want  of 
finality  that  still  prevails  in  the  Latter-Day 
Game,  that  although  Mr.  Hamilton's  book  is 
founded  on  the  same  system  that  is  explained 
in  the  latest  editions  of  ''  Cavendish,"  yet 
there  are  many  points  on  which  the  two  au- 
thorities do  not  agree,  as  may  be  seen  by  the 
review  of  the  book  in  the  Field  of  May  26, 
1894.  However,  the  book  is  very  interest- 
ing, as  showing  not  only  the  astonishing 
change  which  the  new  improvements  have 
wrought  in  the  game,  but  the  remarkable 
earnestness  with  which  they  appear  to  be 
studied  in  the  New  World. 

POPULARITY    OF    WHIST    IN    AMERICA. 

We  hardly,  however,  need  this  confirma- 
tion of  the  extraordinary  hold  that  the  game 
has  taken  among  the  higher  educated  classes 
in  that  country. 

In  1892,  an  article  in  the  ''  Whist  "  Journal 
contained  the  following  passages : 

Those  whose  bent  leads  them  to  the  more  serious  and 
careful  consideration  of  things  see  in  the  game,  with  its 


174  LATTKR-DAV    IMPROVEMENTS 

ever-changing  possibilities,  an  opportunity  for  an  almost 
unlimited  exercise  of  the  best  faculties.  Thus  it  is  that 
in  the  smallest  hamlet  wherein  the  game  has  acquired  a 
foothold  its  devotees  will  be  found  to  consist  of  the  re- 
presentative citizens  of  the  locality.  The  interest  in  the 
game  is  spreading  on  all  sides,  and  the  general  press, 
during  the  winter  season,  chronicles  daily  the  organiza- 
tion of  some  new  Whist  club,  the  giving  of  Whist  enter- 
tainments, the  details  of  matches  and  Whist  doings  in 
general.  From  all  sides  in  this  progressive  age  of  a  pro- 
gressive country  comes  the  undisputed  evidence  that  the 
greatest  of  all  card  games  shares  in  the  general  advance. 

A  later  article,  1893,  says: 

It  is  a  fact  that  immediately  after  the  First  Whist  Con- 
gress Whist  experienced  a  remarkable  revival,  which  has 
spread  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  It  has  almost 
entirely  supplanted  trivial  games  like  Euchre,  and  has 
taken  its  place  in  the  homes  of  the  people,  and  is  there  to 
stay.  Everywhere  Whist  is  being  played,  and  generally 
is  being  played  fairly  well.  As  a  consequence  of  this 
wide-spread  interest  there  has  been  an  increased  demand 
for  anything  and  everything  that  will  instruct  in  the  proper 
methods  of  the  game.* 

The  very  existence  of  the  Whist  League  is 
of  itself  proof  of  this,  and  its  continual  in- 
crease shows  the  permanence  of  the  impres- 
sion. In  the  First  Congress  it  numbered  36 
clubs,  and  in  the  Fourth  this  number  had  in- 
creased to  95 ,  with  a  membership  of  upwards 
of  14,000  persons. 

i  "  Whist"  Journal,  Vol.  III.,  p.  6i. 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  1 75 

Cavendish,"  who  spent  some  months  in 
at  the  Congress  and  among  the  Whist 
Clubs  in  various  cities,  has  remarked  that 
nothing  surprised  him  more  during  his  visit 
than  the  wide-spread  popularity  of  the  game 
of  Whist,  and  the  zeal  with  which  its  devotees 
studied  its  theory  and  practice.  And  not 
only  were  the  numbers  of  players  enormous 
and  increasing,  but  the  general  proficiency  in 
play  was  most  remarkable.  He  has  repeat- 
edly declared  that  there  is  no  sort  of  com- 
parison to  be  made  between  the  European 
and  the  American  players — the  latter  posses- 
sing a  general  quality  of  excellence  which  is 
almost  unknown  here — or  which,  at  any  rate, 
it  has  been  the  habit  to  attribute  only  to 
exceptional  persons  like  Deschapelles,  ap- 
pearing once  in  an  age. 

DIFFICULTIES    AND    DISPUTES. 

But  the  American  experience  with  the  new 
Latter  Day  Whist  has  not  been  altogether 
smooth  ;  for  within  the  last  year  or  two  some 
difficulties  have  arisen  of  such  a  nature  as  con- 
siderably to  disturb  the  course  of  Whist  play 
in  the  States,  and  to  excite  much  general  at- 
tention. 

These  difficulties  have  had  chiefly  to  do 
with  what  we  have  described  as  the  peculiar 


176  LATTER-DAY    IMPROVExMENTS 

feature  of  the  latter  phase  of  improvement, 
namely,  the  extension  of  the  means  of  com- 
munication between  the  partners.  Attention 
had  been  strongly  directed  to  the  American 
leads  and  other  new  developments  of  signal- 
ling, as  described  in  Chapter  VIII. ;  and  some 
players,  finding  the  invention  of  signals  so 
easy,  and  their  use  so  advantageous  to  them- 
selves, appear  to  have  asked,  ''  Why  should 
the  formation  of  them  be  monopolised  by 
'  Cavendish,'  or  by  Trist,  or  by  anybody  ? 
Why  cannot  we  make  them  ourselves  for  our 
own  use  ?  What  need  have  we  for  anj^body's 
leave  to  make  them  or  to  use  them?"  And 
no  doubt  this  desire  has  been  fostered  by 
opinions,  somewhat  freely  expressed  by 
Whist  authorities,  that  the  extension  and 
multiplication  of  such  signals  has  been  of 
advantage  to  the  game,  and  has  given  im- 
pulse to  its  popularity. 

At  any  rate,  whatever  may  have  been  the 
motives,  it  is  a  fact  that  there  has  been,  for 
some  time  past,  a  tendenc}'  manifested  to 
increase  the  number  of  such  signals,  although 
the  inventors  and  introducers  of  the  new 
ones  have  not  usually  taken  example  by 
''  Cavendish  "  and  Trist,  in  either  the  study  and 
consideration  given  to  them,  or  the  caution  in 
propounding  and  using  them.  These  writers 
took    pride    in    showing    that   the    original 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  1 7/ 

American  leads  and  other  developments,  al- 
though they  involved  slight  elements  of 
novelty,  were  still  legitimately  derived  by 
analogy  from  pi'ocesses  of  long  standing  (in 
the  same  manner  as  their  prototype,  the  sig- 
nal for  trumps),  and  that  they  therefore  had, 
to  this  extent,  an  antecedent  justification. 

But  their  followers  appear  soon  to  have 
thrown  this  kind  of  consideration  overboard, 
and  signals  began  to  multiply  guided  by  no 
sort  of  principle  ;  so  that  any  item  of  arbi- 
trary information  was  proposed  to  be  com- 
municated to  the  partner  by  any  equally 
arbitrary  contrivance  in  the  play,  at  the  mere 
pleasure  of  the  inventor.  The  evil  went  on 
increasing,  and  began  to  draw  other  and 
worse  evils  in  its  train,  until  at  length  it  was 
formally  brought  under  public  notice. 

In  the  journal  "  Whist,"  Vol.  L,  page  28, 
July,  1 89 1,  there  appeared  a  letter  headed, 
''  A  Question  in  Ethics,"  in  which  the  writer 
stated  that  two  gentlemen  whom  he  met  as 
opponents  "  had  a  system  of  play  "  on  which 
he  desired  an  opinion.  They  had  ''an  under- 
standing between  themselves  which  they 
neither  specially  concealed  nor  specially 
mentioned,"  extending  apparently  to  several 
new  modes  of  signalling.  These  players 
"  claimed  that  any  agreement  they  might 
make,  which  might  be  expressed  by  play- 
12 


178  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

ing  the  cards  openly  above  the  table,  was 
proper." 

The  Editor,  in  publishing  this  letter,  in- 
vited the  expression  of  opinion  on  the  point 
in  his  journal,  and  the  invitation  led  to  a  cor- 
respondence which  has  become  notable  in  the 
history  of  modern  Whist.  Between  July, 
1 891,  and  April,  1892,  eleven  communications 
appeared,^  mostly  from  well-known  players. 
The  last  one  defended  "  the  practice  of  pri- 
vate card  -  signals  between  partners  "  ;  and 
added,  "  Partners  who  practice  such  systems 
being  upright  gentlemen,  of  course  think  it 
right ;  and  I  doubt  not  that  numberless 
others,  who  have  never  thought  of  the  matter 
before,  will,  on  due  reflection,  arrive  at  the 
same  conclusion." 

This  letter  appears  to  have  stopped  the 
discussion  for  some  time.  At  the  next  Whist 
Congress,  held  in  Chicago  in  June,  1893,  no 
notice  appears  to  have  been  publicly  taken  of 
the  matter ;  but  we  may  suppose  it  to  have 
been  privately  thought  and  talked  of,  and,  at 
anv  rate,  the  discussion  was  revived  in  the 
"  Whist  "  journal.  In  the  number  for  Decem- 
ber, 1893  (Vol.  III.,  p.  108),  the  President  of 
the  American  Whist  League,  Mr.  Eugene  S. 
Elliott,  published  a  letter  inviting  further  ex- 
pression of  opinion,  and  explaining  his  own 

1  See  "Whist,"  Vol.  I.,  pages  28,  3S<  3^,  39.  76,  loi,  102.  167. 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  1 79 

view,  which  was,  ''  that  while  every  club 
should  be  privileged,  in  the  League  matches, 
to  use  such  conventionalities  as  it  deems 
proper,  notice  should  be  given  to  the  other 
contestants  when  such  convention  is  an  in- 
novation on  established  methods."  The  Ed- 
itor of  ''Whist,"  Mr.  Cassius  M.  Paine,  wrote 
"  A  Counter  View,"  but  still  inviting  thor- 
ough discussion. 

These  renewed  invitations  brought  thirty- 
seven  more  letters,  from  nearly  all  the  lead- 
ing Whist  men  of  America,  and  from  some 
English  authorities.^  About  three-fourths  of 
these  unhesitatingly  condemned  the  prac- 
tice :  some  strongly  deprecated  it  as  unfair, 
while  others  merely  disapproved  of  it  as  be- 
ing useless  and  of  no  advantage.  To  show 
that  the  matter  was  really  of  practical  im- 
portance, many  letters  testified  to  the  actual 
existence  and  increase  of  the  practice.^  And 
comparing  these  revelations  with  others 
(see  article  in  ''Whist,"  Vol.  II.,  p.  ii8,  on 
"  Whist  Partnerships  and  Exclusivcness "), 
to  the  effect  that  a  custom  was  getting  into 
vogue  of  what  were  called  "  rigid  partner- 
ships," where  "  two  men  have  the  privilege 

'See  "  Whist,"  Vol.  III.,  pp.  io8,  109,  132,  141,  15610  158,  166 
to  173,  185,  192,  201  to  203. 

2See  letters  in  "  Whist, ""  Vol.  III.,  from  Mr.  Tormey,  p.  133; 
Mr.  Stevens,  ibid.;  Mr.  Le  Roy  Smith,  p.  134  ;  Mr.  Work,  p.  135  ; 
Mr.  Gurley,  p.  138  ;  Mr.  Richards,  p.  140. 


I80  LATTER-DAY    IMPROVEMENTS 

of  pla^nng  all  the  time  with  each  other,"  and 
"  can  adopt  any  system  of  play  they  want  to," 
the  matter  became  more  serious. 

Among  the  American  objectors  to  the  new 
proposal  were  Mr.  Elliott,  the  President; 
Mr.  Schwarz,  the  Secretary,  and  many  of 
the  Executive  Committee  of  the  American 
Whist  League ;  Mr.  Hamilton,  Mr.  Fisher 
Ames,  and  Mr.  Coffin,  authors  of  the  Whist 
books  already  mentioned  ;  and  Mr.  Foster, 
the  Whist  Teacher.  Amonor  the  EnHish- 
men  on  the  same  side  were  *'  Cavendish," 
Mr.  Matthias  Boyce  {"  Mogul  "),  and  Dr.  J. 
J.  P.  Hewby  ("  Pembridge  ").  ''  Cavendish  " 
called  to  mind  his  own  practice  when  he  was 
introducing  the  "  penultimate "  lead.  He 
had  said  in  his  description : 

My  partner  and  I  refrained  from  leading  from  inter- 
mediate sequences,  as  we  considered  that  mode  of  leading 
would  amount  to  a  private  signal  and  would  not  be  fair 
to  opponents  not  acquainted  with  it.  .  .  .  As  others 
dropped  in  we  were  obliged  in  honour  to  explain  the 
method  we  were  adopting,  leaving  them  to  play  it  or  not, 
as  they  pleased.  This  was,  of  course,  to  avoid  a  charge 
of  unfairness  owing  to  a  private  system  of  leading. 

Among  the  supporters  of  the  secret  signals 
were  some  good  and  well-known  names; 
and  in  justice  to  them  it  is  worth  while  to 
extract   a   few    passages   showing    the  argu- 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  l8l 

ments  by  which  their  proposition  was  sup- 
ported. 

Mr.  Fenollosa,  its  principal  advocate  (Vol. 
I.,  p.  167),  after  explaining  that  a  player  may 
play  any  card  he  pleases,  so  long  as  he  con- 
forms to  the  elementary  construction  of  the 
game,  continues. 

But,  say  the  objectors,  the  card  must  not  carry  with  it 
any  secret  meaning  of  which  the  adversaries  are  ignorant. 
Why  may  it  not  ?  On  what  ground  my  adversaries  can 
claim  the  right  to  know  the  meaning  of  each  card  that  I 
play,  I  cannot  conceive  !  As  well  expect  a  chess-player 
to  say  to  his  antagonist,  "  My  dear  Sir,  will  you  kindly  tell 
me  your  reasons  for  making  your  last  move,  so  that  I  may 
know  how  to  act  ?  "  Do  not  my  partner  and  myself  at  a 
hand  of  whist  constitute  a  unit,  a  single  opposing  force 
directed  against  the  adverse  unit  with  the  intention  of  try- 
ing to  outwit  it  by  every  legitimate  means,  that  is,  by 
any  means  furnished  solely  by  the  cards  as  they  lawfully 
fall  ?  And  have  we  not  the  same  right  to  arrange  our 
plans  of  attack  before  the  game  that  the  chess-player  has 
to  patiently  study  an  opening  in  private,  hoping  that  he 
may  discover  moves  which  his  opponent  will  not  success- 
fully parry  at  the  board  ? 

[If  our  opponents  do  this]  they  are  not  indulging  in  secret 
acts  hidden  from  us  ;  the  acts  and  the  circumstances  are 
patent  to  all  at  the  end  of  the  hand.  It  is  only  the  mo- 
tives that  have  been  kept  secret.  It  is  this  entire  absence 
of  secret  or  unlawful  dc-cd  that  marks  the  difference  be- 
tween these  "  unfair  collusions  "  and  the  loading  of  dice, 
to  which  one  of  your  correspondents  compared  them. 

If  "  a  code  for  informatory  play  "  is  the  only  method 
of  uprooting  the  evil,  it  will  have  to  be  accepted  as  a 


1 82  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

necessary  one,  for  Whist  players  as  a  body  will  never 
consent  to  the  degradation  of  such  abject  servitude.  And 
if  they  did,  they  would  be  sounding  the  death-knell  of  the 
art :  for  the  impossibility  of  its  further  development  would 
quickly  destroy  that  keen  interest  in  it  which  is  at  present 
manifested  by  its  votaries. 

In  a  later  article  (Vol.  III.,  pp.  137-8)  he 
said : 

The  indignation  so  freely  expressed  by  many  against 
private  conventions  is  based  on  a  most  absurd  fallacy, 
namely,  that  a  player  has  any  claim  whatever  on  his  ad- 
versary's play,  so  far  as  getting  information  from  it  is  con- 
cerned. 

.  .  .  If  I  have  a  lead  that  I  think  will  secure  tricks 
and  know  will  inform  my  partner,  why  am  I  not  to  make 
it? 

And  in  another  letter,  pp.  190,  191,  he 
said  : 

If  we  could  inform  our  partner  and  at  the  same 
time  deceive  our  adversaries,  would  we  not  consider 
Whist  to  have  reached  the  ideal  stage  of  development  ? 
This  disposes  of  the  objection  on  the  score  of  secrecy. 
Nobody  will  claim  that  the  previous  preparation  away 
from  the  Whist  table  is  the  bugbear,  since  the  studying 
of  any  Whist  maxim  in  the  books  would  be  open  to  the 
same  objection.  And  if  neither  in  the  secrecy  nor  in 
the  forehandedness,  wherein  does  the  wrong  lie  ?  .  .  . 
The  common-sense  view  of  the  matter  is  that  my  card 
may  legitimately  convey  to  my  partner  any  information 
that  his  knowledge  of  my  methods  admits  of,  provided 
that  the  information  could  as  well  be  imparted  if  my  card 
were  laid  upon  the  table  by  one  of  Clay's  "  Machines." 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  I83 

Mr.  Work,  p.  136,  said: 

A  team  that  uses  such  private  conventions  (provided, 
of  course,  that  they  are  useful  ones,  and  cleverly  devised) 
has  an  immense  advantage  over  a  team  of  equal  strength 
that  merely  plays  the  game  of  Whist  as  it  is  written  in  the 
books.  ...  If  a  man,  or  a  combination  of  men,  have 
the  ability  to  devise  a  new  system  of  leads  or  plays  which 
increases  their  trick-taking  ability,  why  should  they  not  be 
allowed  to  benefit  by  the  inventive  powers  of  their  brains, 
without  being  compelled  either  to  disclose  their  invention 
to  the  whole  world  or  else  abandon  it .-'  In  no  similar 
game,  nor  in  fact  in  any  of  the  more  earnest  pursuits  of  life, 
is  this  doctrine  followed.  [Examples  of  football,  cricket, 
patent  rights,  etc.,  are  given.]  ...  I  believe,  therefore, 
that  it  w^ould  be  wise  for  the  American  Whist  League  to 
officially  declare  that  all  private  conventions  (that  consist, 
of  course,  merely  of  plays  and  combinations)  shall  be  con- 
sidered legitimate.  I  believe  this,  because  to  pursue  the 
opposite  course  with  practical  benefit  at  present,  seems  im- 
possible, and,  even  if  possible,  to  be  contrary  to  the  best 
interests  of  the  game. 

In  the  May  number  of  1894,  as  the  meet- 
ing of  the  Whist  Congress  was  coming  on, 
Mr.  Elliott  and  the  Editor  intimated  the 
closure  of  the  discussion,  and  the  latter  dep- 
recated any  legislation  on  the  matter.  He 
said  : 

I  think  we  must  keep  natural  rights  in  mind  and  so 
avoid  encroachments  on  personal  liberty.  ...  I 
believe  that  those  who  indulge  in  private  conventional- 
ities wear  fools'  caps ;  but  I  also  believe  that  their  eman- 


1 84  LATTER-DAY    IMPROVEMENTS 

cipation  should  be  voluntary  and  not  coercive.  They  can 
be  brought  into  the  fold  much  quicker  by  experiment  and 
persuasion  than  they  can  be  by  persecution. 

This  and  other  circumstances  led  to  some 
expectation  that  the  subject  would  be  taken 
up  and  dealt  formally  with  by  the  Whist 
League,  which  was  soon  about  to  meet 
at  Philadelphia.  The  Congress  took  place, 
but  there  is  no  record  that  the  subject  was 
mentioned  officially.  It  must  have  been 
in  the  minds  of  many  influential  members, 
and  it  is  probable  that  if  any  measure  had 
been  proposed  there  would  have  been  a 
large  preponderance  of  opinion  against  the 
secret  system.  But  the  League  had,  no 
doubt,  good  grounds  for  their  inaction,  and  it 
was  believed  that,  after  such  a  thorough  pub- 
lic discussion,  the  wide  discountenance  given 
to  the  new  proposal  would  check  its  prac- 
tice.^ 

But  this  remarkable  outburst  of  zeal  for 
the  further  Evolution  of  Whist  ought  not 
to  be  allowed  to  pass  without  some  observa- 
tions, particularly  as  it  was  supported  by  a 
very  respectable  minority  of  American  play- 
ers.    And  it  may  be  well  to  consider  the  pro- 

1  The  publicity  of  this  discussion,  and  the  attention  it  com- 
manded, were  entirely  due  to  the  "  Whist  "  journal,  and  formed 
an  excellent  example  of  the  utility  of  such  a  periodical. 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  1 85 

posal,  first  as  regards  its  ethical  features,  and 
afterwards  as  affecting  the  Avorking  char- 
acter of  the  game  generally. 

The  ethical  matter  is  not  difficult  to  deal 
with  if  properly  approached.  It  should  be 
recollected  that  the  choice  of  ethical  rules 
must  be  always  a  voluntary  matter  among 
those  playing  a  game,  and  that  any  coterie 
of  players  are  free  to  sanction  and  adopt,  in 
their  own  circle,  any  rules  they  like.  The 
difficulty  here  seems  to  be  that  the  advocates 
wished  to  thrust  the  proposed  secret  signal- 
ling into  the  ordinary  Whist  circles  as  some- 
thing consistent  with  the  ethical  ideas  at 
present  prevailing  in  them.  These  ideas 
have  never  been  strictly  formulated,  but  it  is 
not  difficult  to  gather  them  from  history. 
They  have  been  subject  to  Evolution,  like 
Whist  itself. 

The  essential  difficulty  to  be  met  in  the 
game  of  Whist  always  has  been,  and  is  still, 
^he  fact  of  all  the  cards  except  the  player's 
own  (and  the  turn-up  when  he  is  not  the 
dealer)  being  concealed  from  him.  There 
are  two  games  called  dummy  and  double-dum- 
my, where  some  or  all  of  them  are  exposed, 
but  these  are  not  Whist,  in  the  sense  we  are 
considering  it  here. 

In  the  Primitive  Game  this  difficulty  was 
simply  ignored.     The  player  considered  his 


1 86  LATTER-DAY    IMPROVEMENTS 

own  hand  alone,  and  did  the  best  he  could 
with  it. 

In  the  following-  era,  however,  the  ideas 
were  changed.  Hoyle  soon  saw  the  influ- 
ence that  the  concealed  cards  had  on  the  art 
of  trick-making;  he  taught  the  policy  of  con- 
sidering them,  though  they  could  not  be 
seen  ;  and  he  showed  the  possibility  of  in- 
ferring, to  some  extent,  w^hat  any  hand  con- 
tained, by  the  cards  which  fell  from  that 
hand  in  the  course  of  play.  This  was  the 
great  lesson  of  attention  to  the  ''  fall  of  the 
cards "  which  we  have  described  as  being 
one  of  the  most  salient  features  of  his  in- 
struction. 

Matthews  made  a  step  further  by  insisting 
on  the  special  importance  and  advantage  of 
the  two  partners  endeavouring  to  facilitate 
the  legitimate  intercommunication  of  knowl- 
edge as  to  their  hands.  But  it  is  quite  clear 
that  there  was  a  stringent  ethical  view  pre- 
vailing as  to  the  nature  of  this  intercommuni- 
cation. It  is  on  record  that  before  Hoyle's 
active  intervention,  it  had  been  discovered 
that  if  a  player  knew,  even  to  a  small  extent, 
what  cards  his  partner  held,  he  could  make 
useful  application  of  his  knowledge  ;  persons 
were  not  wanting  who  invented  secret  and 
surreptitious  modes  of  communication  be- 
tw^een  the  two,  and  these  became  practised 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  187 

to  such  an  extent  as  to  bring  the  game  into 
well-merited  disrepute.  It  was  one  of  the 
most  earnest  objects  of  Hoyle  to  correct 
these  abuses,  and  we  may  take  it  as  an  estab- 
lished ethical  principle  at  that  time  (sup- 
ported indeed  by  the  Moral  Philosophy  of 
Paley)  that  no  player  should  get  any  infor- 
mation, as  to  the  concealed  hands,  beyond 
what  the  whole  table  could  get  by  legitimate 
inference  from  the  ''  fall  of  the  cards." 

It  was  only  in  the  Philosophical  Game  that 
the  communications  between  the  partners 
assumed  their  full  importance,  and  were 
properly  provided  for ;  and  it  is  desirable 
here  to  refer  briefly  to  our  former  descrip- 
tion of  how  this  was  done.  The  general  sys- 
tem of  play  having  been  settled,  by  practice 
and  experiment,  rules  were  carefully  drawn 
up,  having  for  their  chief  object  the  promo- 
tion of  trick-making  and  successful  play  gen- 
erally ;  and  for  the  sake  of  the  information 
element,  directions  were  further  devised  for 
the  careful,  uniform,  and  consistent  play  of 
small  or  indifferent  cards,  to  which  no  im- 
mediate trick-making  motive  applied. 

But  in  order  that  these  carefully  devised 
rules  should  properly  facilitate  the  communi- 
cation of  information,  it  was  of  course  neces- 
sary that  both  partners  should  know  them 
and  use  them,  and  this  led  to  a  nmtiial  under- 


I  88  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

Standing  between  good  players  that  the  rules 
should  be  generally  followed  ;  in  pursuance 
of  which  understanding  any  player  could 
rely  that  certain  inferences  might  be  drawn 
from  his  partner's  play.  Thus,  for  example, 
it  was  a  mutual  understanding  that  the  play- 
er's first  plain-suit  lead  should  be  his  best 
one  ;  that  he  should  play,  when  not  leading, 
the  lowest  of  a  sequence  ;  that  he  should  re- 
turn the  higher  of  two  cards  remaining ;  and 
so  on. 

Thus,  although  the  rule  was  the  basis  and 
guide  of  the  communication,  yet  the  mutual 
understanding  was  the  necessary  means  of 
its  conveyance  ;  and  it  will  be  evident  that 
neither  in  the  rules,  nor  in  the  mutual  under- 
standing to  use  them,  was  there  anything  to 
contravene,  in  the  slightest  degree,  the  ethi- 
cal stipulation  above  referred  to. 

Then  came  another  step  in  the  Evolution, 
which  took  place  during  the  development  of 
the  Philosophical  Game.  It  appeared  to  the 
club  players  that  it  might  be  useful  to  widen 
a  little  the  scope  of  the  mutual  understand- 
ing, to  make  it  include  a  conventional  exten- 
sion, to  new  circumstances,  of  a  previous  nat- 
ural mode  of  play.  Cases  had  frequently 
occurred  where  the  unnecessary  playing  of 
a  high  card  before  a  lower  one  naturally  in- 
timated a  desire  on  the  part  of  the  player  to 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  1 89 

get  trumps  led  ;  and  this  gave  rise  to  a  prop- 
osition that  a  similar  mode  of  play  in  any 
case  should,  according  to  the  mutual  under- 
standing, be  interpreted  in  the  same  Avay. 
This  widening  of  the  mutual  understanding 
was  at  first  objected  to,  but  was  ultimately 
approved  and  adopted — and  thus  there  be- 
came established  a  novel  form  of  communi- 
cation, which  Avas  characterized  as  a  *'  Sig- 
nal ;  "  the  artifice  in  question  being  first  called 
jocosely  the  ''  Blue  Peter,"  and  afterwards, 
more  soberly,  the  "  Signal  for  Trumps." 
The  principle  applied  in  this  change  formed 
a  germ  from  which  have  sprung  almost  all 
the  developments  in  the  Latter-Day  Whist. 

This  step  in  the  Evolution  involved  a 
slight  ethical  relaxation,  as  it  enabled  the 
player  to  give  some  kinds  of  information 
which  he  could  not  legally  give  before ;  and 
this  was,  no  doubt,  the  cause  of  the  objec- 
tions made  to  it.  But,  after  full  discussion 
and  long  experience,  the  change  was  ap- 
proved and  admitted,  as  a  legitimate  condi- 
tion of  the  game. 

It  has,  however,  had  the  effect  of  stimu- 
lating the  proposal  of  a  further  step  in  ad- 
vance. It  would  seem  to  be  the  idea  of 
many  players  that  the  *'  mutual  understand- 
ing "  should  be  widened  still  more,  so  as  to 
sanction  the  communication  of  any  arbitrary 


IQO  LATTER-DAY    IMPROVEMENTS 

k)ioivlcdg€  luhatever,  by  any  arbitrary  signal 
(which  can  be  contrived  in  the  play  of  cards), 
without  reference  to  any  principle  or  anal- 
ogy of  any  kind.  This  idea  has  been  de- 
fended by  Clay's  remark  (p.  no),  "It  is  fair 
to  give  to  your  partner  any  intimation  which 
could  be  given  if  the  cards  were  placed  on 
the  table  each  exactly  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  others  by  a  machine."  But  the  context 
clearly  shows  that  these  intimations  were  in- 
tended to  be  only  inferences  from  acknowl- 
edged rules,  and  not  mere  arbitrary  items  of 
information  dictated  at  the  will  of  the  player. 

It  is  difficult  to  say  to  what  extent  this  last- 
named  kind  of  signalling  is  in  use,  or  how  far 
it  may  have  received  the  sanction  of  Whist 
players  ;  but  there  appears  no  justification 
for  assuming  that  such  an  ethical  latitude 
has  yet  received  general  approval. 

Now  we  have  here  three  fairly  well  defined 
stages  of  the  application  of  the  "  mutual  un- 
derstanding "  to  the  communication  of  in- 
formation between  the  partners. 

The  first  is  absolutely  simple,  nothing  be- 
ing done  beyond  agreeing  to  give  attention 
to  certain  rules  of  normal  play,  designed 
either  directly  to  promote  trick-making,  or 
to  ensure  regularity  and  uniformity. 

The  second  stage  involves  what  is  called, 
"  signalling ; "     it     implies    that    something 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  I91 

special  and  abnormal  is  to  be  communicated 
to  the  partner  ;  but  this  is  of  a  nature  arising 
analogically  out  of  normal  play,  and  is  com- 
municated by  corresponding  modes,  publicly 
known  and  agreed  to. 

The  third,  or  doubtful  stage,  is  an  extension 
of  the  second  to  devices  of  an  entirely  arbi- 
trary character. 

But  there  is  now  this  most  important  fact 
to  be  observ^ed,  that  throughout  all  these 
phases  of  the  Evolution,  even  in  the  last 
named,  the  mutual  understanding  has  been 
general  with  all  the  players.  We  fail  entirely 
to  find  any  case,  till  now,  where  it  has  been 
even  proposed  to  limit  it  to  a  secret  under- 
standing between  two  partners  only,  of  which 
the  other  two  players  are  ignorant  and  have 
no  means  of  acquiring  knowledge.  Such  an 
arrangement  must  be  considered  as  an  entire 
contravention  or  infraction  of  Paley's  funda- 
mental ethical  principle,  that  neither  party 
should  have  a  surreptitious  advantage  over 
the  other ;  and  it  therefore  can  only  be 
properly  used  in  a  club  or  circle  which  has 
specially  admitted  such  a  relaxation  of  the 
ethical  standard. 

The  supporters  of  the  proposition  for  se- 
cret signalling  lay  great  stress  on  their  inti- 
mations being  communicated  by  the  order  of 
play  of  the  cards,  which  they  say  is  visible 


192  LATTER-DAY    IMPROVEMENTS 

to  everybody  ;  but  as  the  ethical  irregularity 
really  lies  in  the  use  of  a  communication  be- 
tween A  and  B  which  is  purposely  concealed 
from  X  and  Y,  the  manner  in  which  this  is 
given  cannot  affect  its  essential  character. 

The  arguments  urged  in  favour  of  the  secret 
signalling  merely  amount  to  an  assertion 
that,  so  long  as  the  partners  adhere  to  the 
elementary  structure,  they  have  a  right  to 
take  any  measures  they  please  to  try  to 
win.  But  the  advocates  forget  that  an  essen- 
tial and  fundamental  feature  of  the  game 
has  always  been  the  difficulty  caused  by  the 
concealment  of  the  cards.  The  means  of 
overcoming  this  difficulty  have  consisted  in 
skilful  inferences  from  what  is  seen ;  and 
though,  in  the  most  modern  developments 
this  has  been  aided  by  the  signal  system,  such 
aid  has  been  only  given  by  public  knowledge 
and  approval.  To  introduce,  therefore,  new^ 
and  secret  aids,  becomes  a  further  change 
in  the  fundamental  conditions  of  Whist,  for 
wdiich,  as  in  the  earlier  forms  of  signalling,  the 
consent  of  all  the  players  should  be  obtained. 

But  assuming  the  proposed  secrecy  to  be 
abandoned,  it  is  worth  w-hile  to  consider  how 
the  character  of  the  game  w^ould  be  likely  to 
be  affected  by  a  large  and  indefinite  multipli- 
cation of  signals.     A  perusal  of  the    corre- 


WHIST   IN   AMERICA  193 

spondence  in  the  "  Whist  Journal "  shows  a 
very  general  opinion  that  this  would  be  an  ad- 
vantage to  the  progress  of  the  game,  and  that 
consequently  the  unlimited  invention  of  them 
should  be  encouraged,  provided  that  they 
are  made  known.  But  here  comes  the  diffi- 
culty ;  if  they  are  to  be  created  wholesale 
and  indiscriminately, /^<92£/  are  they  to  be  made 
known?  how  are  the  great  mass  of  players 
to  be  instructed  about  them  ?  And  would 
not  this  difficulty  probably  lead,  in  time,  to  a 
selection  of  such  as  were  found  to  be  most 
generally  conducive  to  the  interests  of  the 
game  ;  and  to  some  authoritative  exclusive 
recommendation  of  them  ? 

It  would  seem  desirable  that,  now  that 
"  Signalling  "  at  Whist  has  become  so  com- 
mon, some  greater  attention  should  be  paid 
to  the  different  kinds  of  signal  that  may  be 
used  ;  and  that  some  distinction  should  be 
drawn  between  them.  It  is  odd  how  few  of 
the  writers  who  took  part  in  the  discussion 
appeared  to  notice  this  point.  The  Ameri- 
cans, taking  hold  of  the  fact  of  the  "  mutual 
understanding "  necessary  to  communicate 
information  between  the  partners,  include 
under  the  name  of  "  Conventionalities  "  ^  all 
sorts  of  information,  making  no  distinction 
between  an  inference  drawn  from  the  normal 

J  See  Definition  in  Hamilton's  Book. 
13 


194  LATTER-DAY   IMPROVEMENTS 

play  of  a  card  for  ordinary  general  expe- 
diency, and  an  arbitrary  interpretation  of 
it,  which  only  acquires  meaning  by  special 
compact  between  the  partners.  They  for- 
get that  while  the  former  is  as  old  as  Hoyle, 
and  is  an  essential  element  of  Whist  play,  the 
latter  is  of  quite  recent  introduction  ;  and 
that  while  the  former  is  a  fixed  thing,  of 
limited  logical  necessity,  the  latter  has  a  ten- 
dency, under  Whist  enthusiasm,  to  extend  its 
range  and  to  encroach  in  its  character,  to 
any  degree. 

It  is  to  this  tendency  that  the  whole  of 
the  present  difficulty  is  due  ;  and  it  confirms 
the  ideal  remedy  of  some  check  being  given 
to  the  indefinite  multiplication  of  arbitrary 
signals. 

It  is  curious  to  contrast  the  present  strong 
opinion  in  favour  of  the  multiplication  of 
signals  with  that  quoted  in  page  128  as  given 
at  the  time  of  the  first  introduction  of  the 
signal  for  trumps.  We  are  there  told  that 
the  inventor  often  said  that  "  he  bitterly  re- 
gretted his  ingenuity,  which  had  deprived 
him  of  one-half  of  the  advantage  which  he  de- 
rived from  his  superior  play."  Here  are  two 
opinions  diametrically  opposed.  Do  these 
signals  encourage  or  discourage  fine  play  ? 

The  question  is  worth  study.  Suppose 
some   of   the  best   players  in  America  (and 


WIIIST   IN   AMERICA  I95 

"  Cavendish  "  says  they  are  the  best  in  the 
world)  were  to  try  for  a  month  the  experi- 
ment of  playing  Whist  as  it  was  played  be- 
fore the  Trump  signal  was  introduced,  taking 
care  not  to  allow  any  communication  from 
one  partner  to  the  other,  except  by  the 
strictest  and  most  natural  interpretation  of 
the  normal  fall  of  the  cards.  Would  they 
find  any  diminished  opportunity  for  the  ex- 
ercise of  their  skill  ? 

If  such  a  cacoetlies  for  signalling  as  now  pre- 
vails should  continue  to  spread,  its  logical  out- 
come would  be  for  each  player  to  hand  over 
his  cards  for  his  partner  to  look  at  before  the 
play  begins.  This  would  be  quite  admissible 
if  agreed  to  by  all  parties,  but  it  would  be  a 
new  game,  and  certainly  no  improvement  on 
the  one  we  are  accustomed  to. 


SUMMARY    AND    CONCLUSION 


SUMMARY    AND   CONCLUSION 

Let  us  now,  in  conclusion,  sum  up  what 
we  have  been  considering  in  regard  to  the 
Evolution  of  Whist,  and  endeavour  to  make 
some  practical  suggestions  in  regard  thereto. 

We  have  found  that  the  game  arose  from 
small  beginnings,  some  three  centuries  ago, 
and  has  gradually  developed  into  a  struc- 
ture of  great  intellectual  interest.  The 
process  of  Evolution  has  been  very  gradual, 
brought  about  by  the  influence  of  earnest 
and  powerful  minds ;  but  as  commonly  hap- 
pens, it  has  at  different  epochs  taken  definite 
forms,  which  were,  for  the  time  being,  of 
some  duration,  and  have  to  a  certain  extent 
remained  still  in  existence. 

We  have  noticed  four  steps  or  stages  mark- 
ing the  progress,  and  producing  four  varie- 
ties of  game,  all  really  Whist,  but  Whist  in 
different  degrees  of  development.  And  the 
great  aim  of  our  work  in  this  investigation  has 
been  to  consider  the  nature  of  these,  and  to 
show  that  they  are  each  of  sufficiently  definite 
structure  to  justify  their  separate  existence. 


200  SUMMARY  AND    CONCLUSION 

The  later  forms  have,  indeed,  grown  out  of 
the  earlier  ones,  but  have  not  necessarily  ex- 
tinguished or  abolished  them.  The  admirers 
of  any  late  step  are  perfectly  justified  in 
showing  its  superiority  to  the  one  before  it, 
but  there  is  room  enough  in  the  world  for 
both  to  continue  to  exist  side  by  side. 

We,  therefore,  admit  of  the  possibility,  and 
indeed  of  the  expediency,  of  all  these  forms 
remaining  in  existence  and  in  use  by  the 
players  who  prefer  them. 

They  often  run  into  each  other,  as  do  gen- 
era and  species  in  the  animal  and  vegetable 
world,  and  accordingly  there  are  players 
who  will  mix  two  of  the  varieties.  For  in- 
stance, a  player  of  the  Primitive  Game  may 
have  acquired  some  of  Hoyle's  maxims ;  or  a 
Hoyle  player  will  have  learned  some  of  the 
Philosophical  principles  ;  or  a  Philosophical 
Game  player  may  adopt  some  of  the  latter- 
day  improvements.  These  are  natural  varia- 
tions, rather  proving  the  rule  than  forming 
exceptions. 

We  notice,  as  the  first  stage,  the  simple 
structure  which  we  have  called  the  Primitive 
Game ;  the  earliest  practical  expression  of 
the  elementary  form. 

This  is  as  wide  apart  from  the  latter-day 
structure  as  are  the  poles  asunder;  but  still  it 


SUMMARY   AND    CONCLUSION  201 

is  really  a  form  of  Whist,  and  there  are  mul- 
titudes of  persons  at  the  present  moment 
who  practise  it  and  enjoy  it.  And  why 
should  they  not?  We  may  tell  them  that 
more  intellectual  forms  may  be  found ;  but  if 
they  lack  either  the  capacity  or  inclination 
to  learn  them,  it  is  their  affair  and  not  ours. 

The  persons  who  play  this  kind  of  game 
have  been  induced  to  adopt  it  probably  by 
association  with  some  of  their  friends,  and  as 
requiring  the  minimum  of  exertion  to  learn ; 
they  being  in  fact  frightened  by  hearing  of 
the  difficulties  and  complications  of  the 
higher  forms.  And  no  doubt  these  induce- 
ments will  continue  to  operate ;  so  that,  not- 
withstanding all  the  improvements  that  have 
been  made  and  may  continue  to  be  made,  this 
form  of  game  will  continue  in  existence,  and 
may  find  many  amiable  votaries  in  domestic 
life. 

But,  of  course,  in  addressing  students  who 
are  really  desirous  to  take  up  Whist  as  an 
intellectual  exercise,  we  cannot  recommend 
them  to  begin  with  this  form  of  game,  sim- 
ply because  we  can  direct  them  to  much  bet- 
ter and  more  satisfactory  objects  for  their 
study. 

Then  we  make  a  great  step  to  the  Game  of 
Hoyle,  and  there  are  also  multitudes  of  per- 


202  SUMMARY   AND    CONCLUSION 

sons  who  practise  this,  and  find  it  give  good 
scope  for  their  intellectual  powers.  We 
might  say  to  them,  "  Look  at  the  more  ad- 
vanced step,  the  Philosophical  Game ;  you 
will  find  that  it  contains  all  that  is  good  in  the 
Hoyle  Game,  but  that  instead  of  depending 
so  much  on  the  volition  of  the  player,  it  is 
reduced  to  a  system,  so  as  to  make  its  prin- 
ciples understood  and  practised  by  a  larger 
circle."  But  the  Hoyle  player  will  probably 
answer,  ''  It  may  be  so,  but  I  do  not  like  or 
want  your  improvement.  I  decline  to  sub- 
mit my  play  to  the  tyranny  of  systematic 
rules  and  principles,  or  to  the  fancies  of  my 
partner.  I  prefer  the  freedom  of  acting  as 
my  own  judgment  may  direct  me;  I  do  not 
approve  your  combined  action,  I  can  take 
care  of  myself;  I  shall  play  what  1  think  prop- 
er, and  my  partner  may  do  the  same.  Take 
your  philosophy  to  the  women  and  the  tyros 
for  whom  you  wrote  it,  and  do  not  bring  it  to 
me." 

A  player  of  this  school  glories  in  never 
having  looked  into  a  book,  and  despises  book 
knowledge;  he  objects  to  system  altogether, 
arguing  that  the  play  should  be  dictated  by 
personal  judgment  alone.  He  will  often  lead 
from  short  suits — or  will  lead  trumps  when 
weak ;  or  abstain  from  leading  them  when 
strong ;  or  will  refuse  to  return  his  partner's 


SUMMARY   AND    CONCLUSION  203 

lead  in    them ;    or  in    fact,  will   do  anything 
that  he  thinks  may  best  suit  his  own  hand. 

These  persons,  though  they  do  not  adopt 
the  most  approved  system,  are  not  to  be 
considered  bad  players.  They  often  show 
careful  attention,  practice,  and  natural  ability  ; 
they  are  very  observant,  recollect  and  cal- 
culate well,  draw  shrewd  inferences  as  to 
how  the  cards  lie,  and  generally  are  adepts 
in  all  the  accidental  features  of  good  play. 
They  take  pride  in  their  own  skill,  which 
they  object  to  make  subservient  to  the  will 
of  a  partner  inferior  to  themselves. 

The  proper  thing  to  say  of  a  player  of  this 
school  is  that  he  does  not  play  the  same  game 
as  that  of  ''Cavendish"  and  Clay;  he  plays 
the  earlier  one  of  Hoyle.  And  why  should  he 
not,  if  that  suits  his  character  and  tastes 
better  than  the  newer  one  ? 

Many  persons  who  are  attached  to  this 
form  of  game  refuse  to  acknowledge  the 
value  of  any  subsequent  changes,  holding  the 
opinion  that  personal  skill  will  give  every 
further  advantage  possible.  Indeed  it  is  not 
unusual  to  find  Whist  writers  of  the  present 
day,  having  good  claims  to  consideration, 
who  advocate  and  recommend  what  would 
be  essentially  a  return  to  the  Hoyle  game. 

But,  although  this  game  may  captivate 
the    attention   of    certain    classes    of  people, 


204  SUMMARY   AND    CONCLUSION 

and  so  remain  in  flourishing  estate,  if  any 
one  wishes  to  learn  Whist  ab  initio,  we  can- 
not now  recommend  him  to  begin  by  study- 
ing Hoyle  or  Payne  or  Matthews  ;  not  from 
any  objection  to  these  admirable  works,  but 
simply  because  the  march  of  Evolution  has 
put  within  his  reach  educational  methods  of 
an  easier  character. 

At  the  next  grade,  the  PhilosopJiical  Game, 
we  arrive  at  the  culminating  point  of  the  de- 
velopment, so  far  as  the  general  structure  is 
concerned.  It  embodies  the  highest  idea  of 
the  game  ;  and  though  it  has  been  followed 
by  another  evolutionary  stage,  the  latter  re- 
fers rather  to  improvements  in  detail  than  to 
changes  of  general  structure. 

And  it  is  to  the  Philosophical  form  of  game 
that  the  attention  of  students  must  be  earliest 
and  most  earnestly  directed,  for  two  reasons 
— first,  because  it  is  the  most  teachable  form, 
depending  so  much  on  easily  acquired  prin- 
ciples ;  and,  secondly,  because  all  matters  of 
detail,  whether  in  the  preceding  or  succeed- 
ing forms,  can  be  better  acquired  and  appre- 
ciated after  the  fundamental  principles  have 
become  familiar. 

At  this  point,  therefore,  we  may  offer  a 
few  words  of  advice  to  those  who  are  anxious 
to  learn  Whist,  beginning  on  this  basis. 


SUMMARY   AND    CONCLUSION  205 

First,  then,  we  may  say  to  the  student,  you 
must  be  convinced  that  you  have  something 
to  study,  and  that  practice  alone,  in  your  un- 
taught state,  will  never  make  you  a  first-rate 
player.  The  great  feature  of  the  Philosophi- 
cal Game  is  that  it  is  founded  on  sound  logi- 
cal general  principles,  with  which,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  theory,  you  must  make  yourself  well 
acquainted.  You  will  study  the  general 
nature  of  the  combined  system,  and  learn  how 
this  is  made  to  bear  on  all  the  course  of  play ; 
and  if  you  approach  the  subject  with  a  docile 
disposition,  you  will  be  surprised  to  find  how 
easy  this  knowledge  is  to  acquire.  The  sup- 
posed difficulties  only  arise  from  its  clashing 
with  preconceived  notions.  Some  few  ex- 
planations embody  its  main  features,  and 
when  their  spirit  is  once  impressed  on  the 
mind,  the  great  portion  of  the  preliminary 
learning  is  done. 

When  you  have  become  thoroughly  famil- 
iar with  the  nature  of  the  system  on  which 
the  game  is  founded,  you  will  be  in  a  position 
to  learn  how  it  is  carried  out  in  practice,  and 
this  at  first  may  be  well  accomplished  by 
studying  model  hands  and  examples,  of  which 
you  will  find  plenty  in  ''  Cavendish's  "  several 
books;  in  the  '' Self  -  Playing  Hands,"  pub- 
lished by  Mr.  Foster;  in  the  "  Whist"  Jour- 
nal, and  elsewhere.     These  will  bring  you  in 


206  SUMMARY   AND   CONCLUSION 

contact  with  the  accidents  of  play,  and  with  the 
peculiarities  of  different  situations.  Sound 
practical  works  such  as  Drayson's  "  Practical 
Whist "  will  help  you,  and  you  may  look 
back  with  advantage  at  the  instructions  of 
the  older  authorities,  Hoyle  and  Matthews. 
In  this  way  you  will  find  the  field  opening- 
for  your  personal  practice,  which  you  can 
then  intelligently  follow. 

This  course  of  education  will  give  you 
a  command  of  the  right  principles  to  ad- 
here to.  It  will  teach  you  generally  how 
your  own  hand  should  be  played  so  as  to 
gain  the  best  advantage  from  it ;  how  you 
may  give  the  best  assistance  to  your  partner 
in  the  process  of  playing  his  hand  ;  how  to 
weaken  and  obstruct  your  adversaries  ;  and 
how  best  to  meet  their  hostile  manifes- 
tations. And  when  you  have  become  tho- 
roughly acquainted  with  all  this  you  will  be 
what  is  called  a  sound  player.  Good  players 
will  know  they  can  depend  upon  your  inti- 
mations, and  will  therefore  esteem  you  as  a 
good  and  eligible  partner ;  and  you  may  ac- 
cordingly mix  with  confidence  in  good  Whist 
circles. 

But  this  is  not  all  that  is  to  be  desired  ; 
there  is  something  of  importance  beyond. 
It  is  not  enough  to  have  a  sound  knowledge 
of  the  system,  and  of  its  general  application, 


SUMMARY    AND    CONCLUSION  20/ 

but  you  must  be  prepared  to  encounter  all 
the  continually  varying  events  that  turn  up 
in  play   and  to  meet  them  in  the  most  advan- 
tageous way.    And  here  come  into  requisition 
your   own   personal    and    individual    mental 
powers  ;  your  acuteness  of  observation  ;  your 
readiness  in  drawing  logical  inferences  ;  your 
power  of  memory;  your  promptness  m  de- 
cision  of    action;    and    your    soundness   in 
judgment.     All  this  is  comprised  in  what  is 
known  as  personal  skill ;  the  large  possession 
of  which  (always  in  addition  to  soundness  in 
the  knowledge  of  system)  will  constitute  a 
fine  player— a  true  master  in  Whist. 

Let   us    look   at   these   requisites   a   little. 
First,  Observation.     You  must,  if  you  are  to 
be  perfect  in  this,  observe,  in  the  first  place, 
the  cards  your  partner  plays,  and  next  those 
that  the  opponents  play.     The  secret  of  this 
is,  absolutely  perfect  attention.    ''  Cavendish,    m 
his  talks  with  the  Americans  explaining  his 
mode  of  play,  laid  the  greatest  stress  on  this. 
He  said:  "  If  my  partners  first  lead  to  me  is 
the  five  of  spades,  my  attention  is  so  strongly 
rivetted  to  that  fact,  that  if  anybody  were  to 
tell  me  the  house  was  on  fire  it  would  not 
drive  the  five  of  spades  out  of  my  mind." 
And  so,  the  attention  must  be  fixed,  more  or 
less   strongly,  on   every   card   your   partner 
plays,   and   on   every    card   the    adversaries 


208  SUMMARY   AND    CONCLUSION 

play.  It  is  true  that  all  those  cards  are  not 
of  equal  import,  but  they  ought  all  to  be  ob- 
served, that  you  may  judge  what  they  imply. 
It  is  clear  that  in  order  to  accomplish  this, 
even  in  a  moderate  degree,  your  mind  must 
be  free,  and  fixed  only  on  your  game  ;  if 
your  thoughts  are  worried  or  occupied  by 
outside  subjects,  this  element  of  skill  is  quite 
unattainable. 

Then  as  to  the  inferences,  it  is  supposed 
you  are,  by  your  knowledge  of  system,  ca- 
pable of  drawing  these  ;  but  in  practice  it 
must  be  done  promptly  ;  indeed,  the  advice 
is,  "  draw  your  inferences  at  the  time  the  card 
is  played,"  and  let  your  mind  be  impressed, 
not  only  with  the  card  played,  but  with  what 
it  implies. 

The  next  requisite  is  memory.  This  is  the 
bugbear  of  beginners.  In  the  Primitive  Game, 
if  a  player  holds  a  King,  his  chief  effort  is 
to  remember  the  fall  of  the  Ace  when  it 
occurs ;  and  so  he  thinks  that  a  more  compli- 
cated game  must  consist  in  a  multiplication 
of  such  efforts  of  memory.  But  it  has  often 
been  pointed  out  that  if  any  fact  in  play 
has  been  duly  observed,  the  memory  can  hard- 
ly fail  to  record  it ;  so  that  what  is  thought 
to  be  want  of  memory  is  really  only  want 
of  due  observation.  In  the  early  forms  of 
game  there  were  only  a  few  facts  to  be  no- 


SUMMARY   AND    CONCLUSION  209 

ticed  ;  in  the  modern  game,  properly  speak- 
ing, every  card  played  ought  to  be  observed 
and  remembered.  But  since  this  is  an  almost 
superhuman  effort,  the  plan  is  recommended 
that  you  confine  at  first  your  special  atten- 
tion to  some  of  the  most  important  things, 
such  as  the  trump  suit,  the  high  cards  of 
your  own  chief  suit,  your  partner's  suit,  his 
discards,  and  so  on,  graduall}-  increasing  the 
range  of  observation  as  your  experience  in- 
creases. And  you  will  find  that  the  problem 
before  you  really  consists,  not  in  remember- 
ing certain  isolated  facts,  as  the  beginners 
suppose,  but  in  the  power  of  marshalling  a 
number  of  different  inferences  together,  con- 
veniently for  reference,  and  ready  for  use  at 
the  instant  when  they  are  required. 

We  now  come  to  the  two  last  features  of 
skill :  viz.,  promptness  of  decision  and  sound- 
ness of  judgment,  and  these  are  qualities  of 
quite  a  different  character;  for  a  player  may 
have  in  his  mind  a  store  of  inferences  from 
what  is  past,  but  on  a  sudden  call  to  play, 
toward  the  end  of  a  hand,  he  may  find  him- 
self in  a  difficulty.  The  time  is  past  for  the 
application  of  rules,  which  generally  only 
apply  to  the  early  part  of  a  hand  ;  he  must 
now  be  guided  only  by  what  the  "  fall  of  the 
cards "  has  revealed  ;  and  he  not  only  has 
to  judge  what  is  best  to  be  done,  but  has 
14 


210  SUMMxVRY   AND    CONCLUSION 

to  do  it  instantly,  as  he  cannot  keep  the  ta- 
ble waiting  while  he  considers.  Truly,  this 
is  a  high  demand  on  a  man's  ability ;  and  it 
is  a  thing  which  cannot  be  taught.  All  that 
can  be  recommended  to  the  student  is  that 
(in  addition  to  frequent  practice  with  the 
best  players  he  can  find)  he  should  make  him- 
self familiar  with  good  published  hands,  and 
so  provide  himself  with  a  store  of  examples 
ready  for  application  when  required. 

In  all  these  points  your  progress  will  be 
gradual,  and  you  must  not  be  discouraged 
by  finding  that  you  often  make  mistakes. 
And  it  is  useful  to  observe  that  there  are 
several  kinds  of  errors  which  (though  scold- 
ing partners  never  bear  this  in  mind)  differ 
much  in  their  importance. 

You  may  commit  infractions  of  the  book 
rules,  such  as  by  leading  wrongly,  playing 
false  cards,  not  returning  trumps,  forcing 
your  partner  improperly,  and  so  on.  These 
are  errors  of  form,  which  are  culpable  and 
ought  to  be  reproved. 

Or  you  may  play  badly  and  wrongly  in 
many  ways  from  neglecting  to  take  advan- 
tage of  the  fall  of  the  cards.  These  are  er- 
rors of  observation  or  memory,  which  should 
be  viewed  more  leniently. 

Or,  having  duly  observed,  you  may  play 
disadvantageously    by   some   error   of  Judg- 


SUMMARY   AND    CONCLUSION  211 

inent,  which  is  still  more  excusable.  Even 
good  players  are  liable  to  such  errors,  and  it 
has  been  said  of  Whist  players,  as  Napoleon 
said  of  his  generals,  "  Those  are  the  best  who 
make  the  fewest  blunders."  Clay  sometimes 
declared  that  he  won  more  by  his  adversa- 
ries' mistakes  than  by  his  own  skill.  ^ 

Now  looking  over  these  elements  of  per- 
sonal skill,  and  considering  the  immense 
amount  of  intellectual  action  they  imply,  w^e 
cannot  but  admit  the  applicability  to  our 
present  circumstances  of  the  sage  remark 
made  by  Matthews  nearly  a  century  ago  ; 
that  though  ''  attentive  study  and  practice 
will,  in  some  degree,  ensure  success,  yet  ge- 
nius must  be  added  before  the  whole  finesse 
of  the  game  can  be  acquired,"  i.e.,  before  the 
master  strokes  of  skill  can  be  added  that  con- 
stitute ?i  fine  player.  Even  in  this  age,  when 
so  many  well-cultivated  minds  are  engaged, 
very  few  such  players  are  found.  We  may 
truly  apply  the  adage  of  Horace  : 

Non  cuivis  homini  contingit  adire  Corinthum, 

It  is  not  given  to  every  man  to  attain  to  first-rate  dis- 
tinction. 

The  powers  required  are  not  at  every 
man's  command  ;  they  require  special  natural 

1  See  Philosophy  of  Whist,  pp.  84,  85. 


212  SUMMARY   AND    CONCLUSION 

mental  gifts,  without  which  no  amount  of 
teaching,  or  study,  or  practice,  will  produce 
them. 

But  after  all  there  is  the  great  consolation 
that  these  high  mental  requirements  only  ap- 
ply to  the  Whist  element  of  personal  skill  in 
its  higher  grades.  The  other  and  the  more 
important  element,  i.e.^  the  knowledge  of  sys- 
tem, has  no  such  limitations.  Any  person  of 
ordinary  intelligence  may,  by  study  and  prac- 
tice, master  this  branch  of  the  subject,  and 
become  a  .y^2/;z<3^  player.  And,  no  doubt,  with 
the  same  modicum  of  mental  power,  he  may 
also  advance  a  certain  degree  in  the  more 
difficult  paths ;  so  that  although  he  may  not 
take  the  first  rank,  he  may  still  earn  the  char- 
acter of  quite  a  good  Whist  player,  and  an 
especially  desirable  partner. 

We  now  come,  finally,  to  the  latest  phase 
of  Whist  Evolution,  The  Latter-day  Improve- 
inents,  consisting  substantially  of  the  Philo- 
sophical Game,  but  with  the  addition  of 
many  complex  additions  of  minute  detail. 
We  have  shown,  as  due  to  our  American 
cousins,  with  what  energy  and  enthusiasm 
the  latter-day  Whist  has  been  taken  up  in 
their  country,  and  we  have  only  here  to 
make  some  remarks  on  its  position  on  this 
side  of  the  Atlantic. 


SUMMARY   AND    CONCLUSION  213 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  gradual 
progress  of  this  phase  of  the  Evolution  has 
been  viewed  with  much  interest,  and  with 
some  favour,  in  this  country,  as  is  proved 
by  the  wide  acceptance  of  many  of  the  earlier 
changes.  The  lead  of  the  penultimate  from 
five,  for  example,  soon  took  root,  and  has 
now  become  very  general.  The  extension  to 
the  more  complete  American  Leads,  is  also 
now  tolerably  well  known.  The  echo  of  the 
trump  call  too,  and  the  systems  of  unblock- 
ing, are  often  played.  These  things  seem  to 
show  a  leaning,  among  English  Whist  play- 
ers, towards  more  extended  communications 
which,  when  they  become  better  known  and 
more  fully  acknowledged,  may  probably  be 
admitted  into  English  Whist  in  good  circles. 

Although,  however,  we  know  that  many 
good  players  have  studied  and  approved  the 
new  forms  generally,  it  cannot  yet  be  said 
that  they  have  become  so  popular  as  to  im- 
ply the  full  reception  of  the  whole  system. 
'*  Cavendish,"  in  his  reported  conversations 
while  in  America,  has  attributed  this  chiefly 
to  the  national  British  conservative  feeling, 
and  probably  this  may  have  some  retarding 
influence.  But  there  are  other  elements 
which  should  not  be  lost  sight  of. 

In  the  first  place,  the  slow  progress  of  the 
Latter-day    Improvements    in    this    country 


214  SUMMARY   AND    CONCLUSION 

may  be  due  partly  to  the  difficulty  of  their 
acquirement.  When  the  Trump  signal  was 
introduced,  the  great  players  complained  that 
it  made  Whist  too  easy.  But  this  cannot  be 
said  of  its  scqiielcE.  "  Cavendish  "  himself  said 
("Whist  Developments,"  p.  2): 

No  doubt  moderate  players  may  lack  the  quick  percep- 
tion which  would  enable  them  to  take  advantage  of  the 
American  rules  [and  a  fortiori  of  the  many  since  added] 
.  .  .  Whether  the  student  will  ever  be  able  to  profit 
by  the  application  of  such  rules  must  depend  on  his  apti- 
tude for  the  game. 

And  a  glance  at  the  nevv^est  description  of 
the  latter-day  Whist,  namely,  Mr.  Hamil- 
ton's book  (see  ante,  pp.  170  to  173),  in  which 
the  details  are  extended  far  beyond  "  Caven- 
dish's "  limits,  must  still  further  tend  to  dis- 
courage its  study,  except  by  those  who  bring 
to  it  the  American  zeal  and  enthusiasm. 

And  there  is  another  consideration  pecu- 
liar to  England,  namely,  that  here  Whist  is 
ahva3'S  played  for  money  ;  for  the  zeal  which 
has  led  the  x\mericans,  in  their  great  Whist 
festivals,  to  abolish  stakes  and  to  play  for  the 
mere  love  of  the  game,  has  not  yet  spread 
to  this  side  of  the  ocean.  Heretofore,  w4th 
Hoyle's  or  the  Philosophical  Game,  the  differ- 
ence between  the  results  of  mediocre  and  of 
accomplished  skill  (tempered  as  it  has  been 


SUMMARY   AND    CONCLUSION  215 

by  the  large  preponderance  of  luck  at  Short 
Whist  with  full  honours),  has  been  so  mod- 
erate that  the  players  would  not  hesitate  to 
risk  it  for  the  excitement  of  the  chance 
events.  But  with  the  new  game,  the  pre- 
ponderance of  skill,  under  the  new  facilities 
of  communication,  might  become  so  largely 
augmented  as  considerably  to  modify  this 
aspect  of  the  play. 

Then  the  example  of  the  American  experi- 
ence has  not  been  altogether  encouraging. 
The  remarkable  proceedings  which  have 
lately  attracted  attention,  involving  proposals 
to  introduce  serious  changes  in  the  ethical 
conditions  of  the  game  of  Whist,  have  not 
been  lost  on  careful  observers  here  ;  and  in  the 
face  of  the  differences  of  opinion  revealed 
thereby,  the  new  developments  can  hardly  be 
expected  to  make  so  much  way  here  as  the 
merits  of  their  invention  would  deserve. 

In  the  meantime,  however,  it  is  probable 
that  as  the  really  meritorious  improvements 
become  more  known,  they  will  be  gradually 
taken  advantage  of  by  those  who  care  to 
learn  them.  And  even  now,  there  can  be  no 
reason  why  players,  who  are  sufficiently  en- 
thusiastic about  Whist  improvements,  might 
not  form  small  coteries  of  their  own  where 
the  new  system  might  be  tried  after  the 
iVmerican  model,  without  interfering  with  the 


2l6  SUMMARY   AND    CONCLUSION 

existing  club  practices  and  rules.  This  would 
give  the  opportunity  of  thoroughly  testing 
the  system,  and  at  the  same  time  of  endea- 
vouring to  apply  to  it  any  safeguards  which 
it  might  be  found  to  require. 


APPENDICES 


APPENDIX   A 

SOME    MODEL    WHIST     HANDS    OF 
EARLY  DATE* 

(Arranged  by  "  Cavendish  "  and  inserted  by  his  permission.) 

i\T  the  time  the  author  of  this  work  wrote, 
in  1861,  suggesting  the  use  of  Model  Games 
or  portions  of  Games,  for  instruction  in 
Whist,  he  was  not  aware  of  any  previous 
examples  of  them.  But  later  investigations 
(chiefly  due  to  the  inquiries  of  *'  Cavendish") 
have  revealed  some  early  specimens  which 
are  very  interesting,  both  on  historical  and 
technical  grounds. 

Example  No.  i. 

The  first  one  comes  essentially  from  Hoyle 
himself.  It  is  given  in  the  extract  from  the 
'^  Humours  of  Whist,"  quoted  in  Chapter  III., 
page  40,  and  published  the  very  year  of  the 

*See  remark  in  Chap.  V.,  page  77. 


220 


APPENDIX   A 


date  of  Hoyle's  first  book,  1743.  It  is  an  ex- 
ample of  the  latter  portion  of  a  hand,  in  which 
the  game  is  won  by  a  brilliant  coup,  in  all 
probability  devised  and  taught  by  him.  It 
comprises  the  last  six  tricks  only,  but  "  Caven- 
dish "  has  ingeniously  added  the  earlier  por- 
tion, and  the  whole  is  described,  with  anno- 
tations, in  an  elegant  little  work  called 
''  Musical  Whist  with  Living  Cards  "  (De  la 
Rue,  1891). 

The  complete  deal  is  as  follows: 


spades.  lo,  9,  3. 
Hearts,  6,  4,  3,  2. 
Clubs,  Kg.,  10. 
Diamonds,  Q.,  10,  7,  6. 


Spades,     Kg.,     Q., 

0 

Shuffle) 
A 

Spades^  5,  4,  2. 

Kn.,  6. 

iz- 

Hearts,  10,  8,  7. 

Hearts,  Kn.,  9. 
Clubs,  Q.,9,  2. 

Calcul 
zzle. ) 
Dealer 

Y 

Clubs,  Kg.,  5,  3 
Diam.,  9,  8,  3,  2 

Diam.,  A,  Kn.,  5, 

^f^~~^ 

4. 

'in 

B 

""      (Lurchum) 

Spades,  A.,  8,  7. 
Hearts,  A.,  Kg.,  Q.,  5. 
Clubs,  A.,  8,  7,  6,  4. 
Diam.,  Kg. 


Spades  trumps.     The  6  turned  up. 

Score,  9- all  (equivalent  to  4-all  at  Short  Whist  or  6-all  when  the 
game  is  played  seven  up,  as  at  the  American  League  ClubsJ. 


appendix  a  221 

The  Play. 

The  asterisk  marks  the  winner  of  the  trick. 

Trick  I. 

A 6  of   D. 

Y 2 

B Kg.  - 

*Z A.     " 

Trick  2. 
Z Kg.of  Sp. 

A 3         '' 

Y 2 

*B A       - 

Trick  3. 

*B Ke.  of  H. 

Z 9 

A 2 

Y 7 


Trick  4. 

*B Q.of  H. 

Z Kn.  - 

A 3 

Y 8       - 


^&' 


222  APPENDIX   A 

Trick  5. 

B A.of  H. 

*Z 6of  Sp. 

A 4of  H. 

Y 10   " 

Note.— When  you  are  not  strong  enough  to  lead  a 
trump,  you  are  weak  enough  to  force  the  adversary.  Clay, 
"  Short  Whist."     A  valuable  maxim. 

Trick  6. 

*Z Kg.  of  Sp. 

A 9 

Y 4 

B 7 

Trick  7. 

*Z Kg.  of  Sp. 

A 10 

Y 5 

B... 8 

(Now  begins  the  part  described  in  the  "  Humours  of 
Whist.") 

Trick  8. 

Z..... 2of  CI. 

A ID      '' 

*Y Kg.- 

B 4      - 

Note. — Lurchum's  play  is  very  good.  He  allows  Y  to 
win  with  the  Kg.  of  Clubs  that  his  partner  may  be  led  up 
to. 


APPENDIX   A  223 

Trick  9. 

Y..... 5  of  CI. 

B 6     '' 

*Z Q.   - 

A Kn." 


Trick  10. 

Z 9  of  CI. 

A 7  of  D. 

Y 3  of  CI. 

^B A.  " 

Note. — Sir  Calculation's  play  is  very  bad.  At  trick  9  he 
should  finesse  the  9  of  Clubs.  Not  having  done  so,  he 
should  see  that  the  Ace  of  Clubs  is  being  held  up  against 
him,  and  at  trick  10  should  lead  the  4  of  Diamonds.  If 
Sir  Calculation  finesses  the  Club  at  trick  9,  then  comes 
Shuffle's  turn  to  play  a  good  coup.  Having  won  with  the 
Knave  of  Clubs  at  trick  9,  he  should  lead  the  6  of  Hearts 
at  trick  10  and  next  the  7  of  Diamonds  (not  the  Queen). 

After  this  B  takes  the  other  three  tricks 
with  the  two  Clubs  and  the  Heart,  thus  win- 
ning- the  odd  trick  and  the  game. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  in  the  extract  where 
the  hand  is  described  there  are  some  calcula- 
tions of  odds  given,  which  look  like  burlesque  ; 
but  "  Cavendish  "  points  out  that  they  are 
really  to  be  found  in  Hoyle,  though  not  exact- 
ly as  travestied. 


224  appendix  a 

Example  No.   2. 

Twelve  years  afterwards,  but  still  in 
Hoyle's  time,  there  was  published,  in  a  liter- 
ary journal  called  TJic  Connoisseur,  for  March 
20,  1755,  a  description  of  a  complete  game; 
and  though  the  cards  are  not  given,  enough 
is  said  to  enable  a  skilful  and  experienced 
reader  to  discover  how  they  must  lie  ;  and 
''  Cavendish  "  has  again  successfully  under- 
taken the  task. 

The  article  in  which  the  description  is 
found  is  written  b}^  Colman  and  Thornton,  its 
subject  being  Hoyle's  Whist  generally  :  and 
it  contains  a  burlesque  proposal  that  as  Hoyle 
was  then  giving  up  personal  teaching,  a 
school  should  be  formed  where  young  ladies 
of  quality  might  be  instructed  in  the  arts  and 
mysteries  of  Whist  play.     The  writer  saj^s  : 

The  science  of  Whist  is  more  complex  then  even  algebra 
or  the  mathematics  ;  the  logarithms  of  Napier  are  not  so 
hard  to  be  understood  as  many  of  Hoyle's  cases  and  prop- 
ositions ;  as  an  instance  of  which  take  the  following  most 
obvious  and  easy  one  : 

Then  comes  the  following  passage,  the  ex- 
planatory notes  in  brackets  being  added  by 
"  Cavendish,"  to  aid  the  description.  The 
game  is  at  the  usual  ''  Long  Whist,"  ten  up. 


APPENDIX   A  225 

A  and  B  are  partners  against  C  and  D.  A  and  B  have 
scored  3  and  want  to  save  their  lurch  {i.e.,  want  2  tricks 
to  score  five,  which  would  prevent  C  and  D  scoring  a 
double  game]  C  and  D  are  at  "  short  can-ye  "  [i.e.  score  of 
8  which  enables  them  to  "  call  honours  "]  and  consequently 
both  sides  play  for  two  tricks. 

C  has  the  deal  and  turns  up  the  Knave  of  Hearts.  C 
"  asks,"  his  partner,  who  refuses  {i.e.,  C  having  two  hon- 
ours asks  his  partner  if  he  has  one  }  which  would  win  the 
game  without  playing  :  but  D  has  none].  B  has  the  lead 
and  runs  his  strong  suit,  Spades,  two  rounds,  with  Ace  and 
King.  A  [has  none  and]  discards  his  weakest  suit,  Dia- 
monds.    Then  B  forces  his  partner. 

A  leads  a  strong  Club,  which  B  refuses  [having  none]. 
A  forces  B,  who,  by  leading  Spades  plays  into  A's  hand, 
{i.e.,  gives  A  the  lead]  who  returns  a  Club  and  so  they  get 
to  a  saw  between  them. 

After  this  A  leads  [a  trump]  through  C's  honours 
[which  he  knows  C  holds  by  the  call]  B  finesses  the  10, 
and  plays  a  Spade,  which  A  trumps. 

Now  B,  by  laying  behind  C's  King  and  Knave  of  trumps 
[which  B  knows  by  the  call  are  there],  makes  the  tenace 
with  Ace  and  Queen,  and  A  having  the  long  trump  brings 
in  his  thirteenth  Club. 

Consequently  A  and  B  get  a  slam  against  their  adver- 
saries C  and  D,  and  score  a  single  game  towards  the 
rubber. 

''  Cavendish  "  points  out  that  there  is  some 
mistake  in  the  last  paragraph  but  one,  but 
the  general  interpretation  of  the  hand  is  quite 
clear,  and  he  has  furnished  the  following 
statement  of  it.  It  is  a  peculiar  hand,  for  it 
is  interesting  to  note  that  each  player  has 
15 


226 


APPENDIX   A 


only  three  suits,  and  that  to  no  trick  do  all 
the  players  follow  suit. 

It  would  rather  seem  from  the  wording  of 
the  article  that  the  hand  emanated  from 
Hoyle  himself,  a  nd  this  is  quite  possible, 
though  not  proved.  It  is  at  any  rate  ingen- 
iously chosen,  to  show  the  skilful  advantage 
taken  of  the  position  of  the  cards. 

The  deal,  as  settled  by  ''  Cavendish,"  is  as 
follows  : 


Hearts,  9,  7,  6,  5,  4,  3. 
Clubs,  A.,  Kg.,  Q.,  7,  4. 
Diam.,  4,  2. 
Spades,  None. 


A 

Hearts^  None. 

Hearts,  Kg.,  Kn.,2. 

Clubs,  Kn.,  9,  6,  2. 

D 

C 

Clubs,  10,  8,  5,  3, 

Diam.,  A.,  Kg.,  Q., 

(dealer) 

Diam.,  None. 

Kn.,  10,  9,  8. 

Spades,  Q.,  Kn.,  8 

Spades,  3. 

(leader) 
B 

7.  5.  4. 

Hearts,  A.,  Q.,  10,  8. 

Clubs,  None. 

Diam.,  6,  5,  3. 

Spades,  A.,  Kg.,  10,  9,  6,  2, 


Hearts  trumps — Knave  turned  up. 

Score  (Long  Whist),  A,  B,  3— C,  D,  8. 

C  (according  to  the  Long  Whist  Rule)  asks  his  partner,  ''Can 
you  one?  "  B  therefore  knows  that  King  and  Knave  are  in  C"s 
hand. 


APPENDIX   A  227 

The   following   is   the   play,  annotated  by 
''  Cavendish  " : 

Trick  I. 

*B A.  of  Sp. 

D 3        ^' 

A 2  of  D. 

C 4  of  Sp, 

Trick  2. 

^B Kg.of  Sp. 

D 7of  D. 

A 4of  D. 

C 5  of  Sp. 

Note. — D  has  no  trump. 

Trick  3. 

B.. 2  of  Sp. 

D 8of  D. 

-^A 3of  H. 

C 7of  Sp. 

Trick  4. 
*A A.  of  CI. 

C 3       '^ 

B 3  of  D. 

D 2  of  CI. 

Note. — A  should  lead  a  trump.     B  should  not  return 
it.  but  force  again. 


228  APPENDIX   A 

Trick  5. 

*A Kg.  of  CI. 

C 5 

B 5  of  D. 

D 6of  CL 

Trick  6. 

*A Q.  of  CL 

C 8 

B 6  of  D. 

D 9of  CL 

Trick  7. 

A 4of  CL 

C 10     " 

*B..., 8  of  H. 

D Kn.  of  CL 

Trick  8. 

B 6  of  Sp. 

D .....9of  D. 

*A 4  of  H. 

C 8  of  Sp. 

Trick  9. 

A 5of  H. 

C 2    " 

*B 10    '' 

D loof  D. 

Note. — Probably  the  coup  intended  by  the  author ;  but 
it  is  obvious  that  B  must  play  10  of  Hearts  and  not  re- 
turn the  trump,  as  he  can  count  all  the  hands. 


APPENDIX   A  229 

Trick  10. 

B Q.  of  Sp. 

D Kn.  of  D. 

*A 6of  H. 

C Kn.  of  Sp. 

Trick  II. 

*A 7  of  CI. 

C Q.  of  Sp. 

B 10      '' 

D   Q.  of  D. 

Note. — The  author  says  A  "  brings  in  "  his  13th  Club. 
He  wins  with  it  if  C  refuses  the  force.  If  C  trumps,  B 
overtrumps  and  (Trick  12)  leads  10  of  Sp.  with  the  same 
result. 

Trick  12. 

A Q.  of  H. 

C Kg.   " 

*B A.      - 

D Kg.  of  D. 

Trick  13. 

B  makes  Q.  of  H. 

Thus  A  B  win  7  by  cards  and  score  a  single. 

Example  No.  3. 

A  third  model  Whist  hand  was  published 
in  1 79 1,  two  years  after  Hoyle's  death,  in  an 


230  APPENDIX   A 

Epic  poem,  "  Whist,"  by  Alexander  Thom- 
son, mentioned  in  Chapter  III.  of  this  work, 
p.  47.  This  hand  embodies  a  little  story,  as 
follows : 

Pusillo,  before  demanding  the  hand  of  Sini- 
Imda,  desires  to  ascertain  whether  she  can 
keep  her  temper  at  cards.  The  opportunity 
presents  itself  at  Whist,  when  Smilinda  and 
he  are  partners  against  Aunt  Rebecca  and 
Squire  Booby.  In  order  to  try  his  lady-love, 
Pusillo  purposely  omits  to  trump  an  oppo- 
nent's winning  card,  thereby  losing  the 
•game.  The  effect  of  this  is  explained  here- 
after. 

The  play  of  the  cards,  as  it  would  be  seen 
by  a  bystander,  is  given  in  vei'se,  of  which 
the  following  is  a  specimen  : 

"  The  Squire  leads  clubs,  and  Aunt  Rebecca's  queen 
Retires  in  triumph  from  the  level  green  ; 
But  when  she  tried  the  suit  another  round, 
Fate  was  not  then  so  favourable  found  ; 
For  scarce  had  Booby's  king  displayed  his  face 
'Ere  seized  and  butchered  by  Pusillo's  ace." 

The  cards  in  each  hand  have  to  be  made  out 
from  such  data,  and  ''  Cavendish  "  has  done 
this,  publishing  the  whole  hand,  with  annota- 
tions, in  the  work  "  Musical  Whist,"  already 
mentioned.  His  remarks  show  that  the  play 
was  not  of  a  high  order. 


APPENDIX   A 


231 


The  deal  was  as  follows : 


Diamonds,  A.,  10,  3,  2. 
Spades,  Q. ,  7.  3- 
Hearts,  5,  3. 
Clubs,  Kg.,  9,  8,  2. 


(Young  Booby.) 
A 

3  ?          2 

a    p               cS 

If}   -^              ~- 

B 

(Aunt  Rebecca.) 

Diamojtds,    Kn.,  4, 

3- 

Spades,  8,  4. 
Hearts,  Kg.,    9,    8, 

6 
Clubs,     A.,     Kn., 

10,  3- 

Diamonds,  Q. ,  Kn. 

9,  7- 
Spades,  Kg.,  5,  2. 
Hearts,  Kn. ,  10,  4, 

2. 
Clubs,  6,  4. 


Diamonds,  8,  5. 
Spades,  A.,  Kn.,  10.  9,  6. 
Hearts,  A.,  Q..  7- 
Clubs,  Q.,  7.  5- 

Diamonds  trumps— 9  turned  up. 
Score  (Long  Whist),  9-all. 

Trick  I. 
A       2  of  CI. 

x'y.. 3  '' 

^B Q.   '' 

Z 4      ^' 


B. 
Z. 
A 


TVzV/^  2. 


7  of  CI. 
6       " 

.A     " 


Note.— Aunt  Rebecca's  return  of  the  Club,  after  win- 
ning with  the  Queen,  is  bad.  She  should  have  opened  the 
Spade  suit.     But  good  play  is  not  expected  from  her,  as 


232  APPENDIX   A 

she  onl)^  sat  down  to  "  make  the  other  pair,"  i.e.,  to  make 
up  the  rubber.  Young  Booby  justifies  his  name  ;  he  should 
have  passed  the  7  of  Clubs  keeping  the  King  guarded. 

Trick  3. 

*Y Kn.  of  CI. 

B 5 

Z 2 

A 8 

Trick  4. 

*Y 10  of  CI. 

B 5  of  D. 

Z 7      '^ 

A 9  of  CI. 

Note. — It  is  doubtful  whether  Pusillo  should  lead  to 
force  his  partner  here ;  but  perhaps  his  play  may  be  de- 
fended by  the  state  of  the  score. 

Trick  5. 

Y Kg.  of  H. 

^B A. 

Z 2 

A 3 

Trick  6. 
*B Q.  of  H. 

Z 4        '' 

A 5 

Y 6       - 

Note. — Aunt  Rebecca  will  not  lead  from  her  strong 
suit  of  Spades.  She  returns  the  opponents'  suit.  Her 
play  is,  of  course,  bad. 


APPENDIX   A  233 

Trick  7. 

B 7ofH. 

Z 10      " 

*A 2  of  D. 

Y 8of  H. 

Trick  8. 

A 3  of  Sp. 

Y 4     " 

^B A.     ^' 

Z 5      " 

Trick  9. 

B 6  of  Sp. 

*Z Kg." 

A 7 

Y 8 

Trick  10. 

Z 9  of  D. 

A 3      '' 

*Y Kg." 

B 8      " 

Note. — Smilinda's  best  lead  is  probably  Q.  of  D. 

Trick  II. 

Y 6of  D. 

B 9  of  Sp. 

Z Kn.ofD. 

*A A. 


234                                 APPENDIX   A  ] 

Trick   12.  I 

A Q.ofSp.  i 

Y 9  of  H.  : 

B lo  of  Sp. 

*Z Q.  of  D.  1 

i 
Note. — Pusillo's  play  in  not  trumping  the  winning 

Spade  is  inexcusable.     The  poet  explains  it  thus  :  i 

I 

"  And  now  a  lady  rais'd  to  full  command,  \ 

The  queen  of  spades,  appear'd  from  Booby's  hand.  I 

With  but  two  spades  Pusillo's  hand  begun  ; 

And  four  of  trumps  might  now  the  trick  have  won,  > 

And  had  he  so  inclined,  his  chance  was  sure,  I 
This  trick  to  conquer  and  the  game  secure. 

But  thoughts  of  different  hue  his  mind  engross  i 

His  am'rous  heart  contemns  the  rubber's  loss  ;  ; 

With  wilful  error  slips  the  trump  to  play,  \ 

And  throws  at  one  rash  stroke  their  all  away."  | 


Of  course,  Pusillo's  conduct  in  playing 
badly  on  purpose,  cannot  be  defended ;  even 
if  the  stakes  were  **  love  "  his  scheme  was 
contemptible. 

Trick   13. 

Z Kn.  of  H. 

*A 10  of  D. 

Y 4      '' 

B Kn.  of  Sp. 

Y,  Z  lose  the  odd  trick  and  the  game. 


APPENDIX   A  235 

The  subsequent  proceedings  are  best  told 
in  the  following  quotation  : 

"  And  when  the  falling  cards  the  veil  withdrew 
Which  hid  the  grossness  of  his  fault  from  view, 
The  gentle  creature  could  endure  no  more, 
She  started  up,  she  stamp'd,  she  raged,  she  swore ; 
Proclaim'd  her  wrong  and  threw  the  cards  away. 
Nor  longer  in  his  presence  deign'd  to  stay." 

She  repented,  and  wrote  to  him,  beseech- 
ing him : 

"  For  sweet  pity's  sake 
No  longer  to  resent  her  rude  mistake." 

But  he  was  inexorable,  replying  : 

■'  When  cards  and  dice  are  banished  from  the  land, 
Pusillo  then  will  ask  Smilinda's  hand." 

The  annotator  adds  : 

"And  suppose  Pusillo  had  trumped  the 
Queen  of  Spades  and  that  Pusillo  and  Smi- 
linda  had  married.  What  with  Pusillo's 
meanness  and  Smilinda's  temper,  is  it  likely 
that  the  union  would  have  turned  out  hap- 
pily ?     Perhaps  it  was  better  as  it  was !  " 


APPENDIX    B. 

CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  AMERICAN 
WHIST   LEAGUE. 

AS  REVISED  AND  ADOPTED  BY  THE  FOURTH  AMERI- 
CAN WHIST  CONGRESS,  HELD  AT  PHILADEL- 
PHIA,   MAY  22   TO   26,  1894. 

(Reprinted,  by  permission,  from  the  Official  Proceedings.) 

Article  I. 

NAME. 

Section  i.  This  organization  shall  be 
known  as  the  "American  Whist  League." 

Article  II. 

MEMBERSHIP. 

Section  i.  The  following  clubs  shall  con- 
stitute the  charter  membership  of  said 
League ;  viz. : 

(Here  follows  a  list  of  twenty-five  clubs.) 

Sec.  2.  All  members  of  said  League  must 
assent  to  this  Constitution,  and  adopt  as  their 


APPENDIX   B  237 

Standard  the  Code  of  Laws  promulgated  by 
said  League  ;  provided,  however,  that  League 
clubs  may  adopt  any  rule  requiring  or  per- 
mitting methods  of  scoring  or  of  forming  the 
table  different  from  those  prescribed  in  said 
laws. 

Sec.  3.  Any  organized  Whist  Club,  or 
other  club  at  which  the  play  of  Whist  is  a 
prominent  feature,  may,  with  the  approval 
of  the  Executive  Committee,  hereinafter  pro- 
vided for,  become  a  member  of  said  League 
on  complying  with  the  provisions  of  the  pre- 
ceding section. 

Sec.  4.  Every  club  belonging  to  said 
League  shall  pay  to  the  Treasurer,  herein- 
after provided  for,  an  annual  fee  of  Ten  Dol- 
lars. 

Sec.  5.  Individual  Whist  players  may  be 
admitted  as  Associate  Members  by  vote  of 
the  Executive  Committee,  hereinafter  pro- 
vided for ; — each  associate  member  shall  pay 
to  the  Treasurer,  hereinafter  provided  for,  an 
annual  fee  of  Two  Dollars.  Associate  mem- 
bers shall  have  the  rights  of  delegates  at  An- 
nual Meetings  so  far  only  as  to  permit  them 
to  speak,  make  motions,  serve  on  committees, 
participate  in  contests  for  individuals,  and  in 
all  deliberations  of  said  League. 

Sec.  6.  Individual  Whist  players,  on  nom- 

ation  by  the  Executive  Committee,  may  be 


238  APPENDIX    B 

made  Honorary  Members  of  said  League  by 
the  unanimous  vote  of  any  meeting  of  said 
League.  Such  members  shall  not  be  liable 
for  any  fee,  nor  shall  they  be  eligible  to 
office  or  privileged  to  vote  at  any  meeting  of 
said  League  unless  they  are  members  of  a 
club  belonging  to  said  League, 

Sec.  7.  If  the  annual  fee  of  any  member 
or  associate  member  remains  unpaid  for  one 
year,  subsequent  to  any  meeting  of  said 
League,  the  Executive  Committee,  herein- 
after provided  for,  shall  have  power  to  sus- 
pend such  member,  after  having  given  thirty 
days'  notice  of  their  intention.  Such  mem- 
ber is  subject  to  expulsion  at  the  next  meet- 
ing of  said  League  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the 
members  present. 

Article  IIL 
general  officers. 

Section  i.  The  General  Officers  of  the 
League  shall  consist  of  a  President,  a  Vice- 
President,  a  Treasurer,  a  Recording  Secre- 
tary, and  a  Corresponding  Secretary. 

Sec.  2.  The  General  Officers  shall  be  elect- 
ed at  the  Annual  Congresses  hereinafter  pro- 
vided for,  and  shall  hold  office  for  one  year, 
and  until  their  successors  are  elected. 


APPENDIX   B  239 

Sec.  3.  Vacancies  occurring-  in  the  list  of 
General  Officers  during-  any  interim  between 
Congresses,  may  be  filled  by  the  Executive 
Committee  until  the  next  Annual  Congress. 

Sec.  4.  The  President  shall  preside  at  all 
meetings  of  the  League  and  of  the  Executive 
Committee,  and  shall  be  ex  officio  a  member 
of  all  committees.  At  the  end  of  his  term  of 
office  he  shall  become  ex  officio  a  member  of 
the  Executive  Committee  and  shall  remain  a 
member  thereof  as  long  as  he  shall  continue 
an  active  member  of  a  club  belonging  to  the 
League. 

Sec.  5.  The  Vice-President  shall  perform 
the  duties  of  the  President  in  the  absence  of 
the  President. 

Sec.  6.  The  Treasurer  shall  have  charge 
of  all  funds  of  the  League,  subject  to  the 
direction  of  the  Executive  Committee. 

Sec.  7.  The  Recording  Secretary  shall 
keep  full  records  of  all  meetings  of  the 
League  and  of  the  Executive  Committee, 
and  shall  perform  such  other  duties  as  the 
Executive  Committee  shall,  from  time  to 
time,  direct. 

Sec.  8.  The  Corresponding  Secretary  shall 
have  charge  of  all  correspondence  between 
the  Executive  Committee  and  members  of 
the  League ;  shall  preserve  copies  of  all  offi- 
cial letters  he  writes,  and  all  correspondence 


240  APPENDIX   B 

he  receives,  and  shall  perform  such  other 
duties  as  the  Executive  Committee  shall 
from  time  to  time  direct. 


Article   IV. 

DIRECTORS. 

Section  i.  There  shall  be  elected  by  the 
League  as  hereinafter  set  forth,  a  Board  of 
Directors  which  shall  not  be  less  than  twelve 
in  number,  which  number  may  at  any  time 
be  increased  by  an}'  multiple  of  three. 

Sec.  2.  The  Directors  chosen  at  the  Annual 
Congress  of  1894,  shall,  at  the  first  meeting 
of  the  Executive  Committee  after  such  elec- 
tion, be  divided  by  lot  into  three  classes  ;  of 
whom  the  first  class  shall  hold  ofhce  until 
the  election  of  Directors  at  the  Annual  Con- 
gress of  1895  ;  the  second  class  shall  hold 
office  until  such  election  at  the  Annual  Con- 
gress of  1896,  and  the  third  class  shall  hold 
office  until  such  election  at  the  Annual  Con- 
gress of  1897. 

Sec.  3.  The  Directors  chosen  at  each  Con- 
gress, subsequent  to  that  of  1894,  shall  hold 
office  until  the  election  of  Directors  at  the 
Congress  of  the  third  3'ear,  subsequent  to 
their  election,  except  in  case  of  Directors 
elected  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  also  except  as 


APPENDIX   B  241 

hereinafter  provided  in  case  of  an  increase  in 
the  membership  of  the  Board. 

Sec.  4.  In  case  a  vacancy  occurs  in  the 
Board  of  Directors,  the  Executive  Committee 
may  fill  the  same  until  the  next  Annual  Con- 
gress, at  which  time  a  Director  shall  be 
chosen  for  the  balance  of  the  unexpired  term, 
if  any. 

Sec.  5.  In  case  the  number  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  shall  be  increased  at  any  Annual 
Congress,  the  additional  Directors  shall  be 
divided  into  three  classes  to  serve  for  one, 
two,  and  three  years,  respectively,  so  that  the 
three  classes  of  Directors  shall  be  maintained 
of  equal  numbers. 

Article  V. 
Executive   Committee. 

Section  i.  The  General  Officers,  the 
Board  of  Directors,  and  such  Ex-Presidents 
as  continue  to  be  active  members  of  clubs 
belonging  to  the  League,  shall  together  con- 
stitute an  Executive  Committee,  or  Board  of 
Government. 

Sec.  2.  The  Executive  Committee  shall 
have  full  control  and  management  of  the 
business  of  the  League,  and  the  title  to  all 
League  property  is  hereby  vested  in  them. 


242  APPENDIX   B 

They  shall  be  subject,  however,  at  all  times 
to  the  will  of  the  League  as  expressed  by  a 
vote  of  any  Congress  or  meeting  of  the 
League. 

Sec.  3.  Five  members  of  the  Executive 
Committee  shall  constitute  a  quorum  for  the 
transaction  of  business. 

Article  VL 
meetings  of  the  league. 

Section  i.  There  shall  be  held  annually, 
at  such  time  and  place  as  the  Executive 
Committee  shall  appoint,  a  meeting  of  the 
League,  to  be  known  as  an  American  Whist 
Congress. 

Sec.  2.  At  all  such  Congresses,  each  club 
belonging  to  the  League  shall  be  entitled  to 
send  as  many  delegates  as  it  desires;  but 
each  delegation  shall  be  entitled  to  but  one 
vote,  which  shall  be  cast  by  a  majority  of  the 
delegation  present  at  the  time  when  the  vote 
is  taken.  No  club  shall  be  entitled  to  send 
any  person  as  a  delegate  who  is  not  a  mem- 
ber of  such  club,  and  no  person  shall  repre- 
sent more  than  one  club. 

Sec.  3.  At  any  Congress  or  other  meeting 
of  the  League  a  vote  shall  be  taken  b}^  clubs 
at  the  request  of  the  delegations  represent- 
ing any  three  clubs. 


APPENDIX    B  243 

Article  VII. 

AMENDiMENTS. 

Section  i.  Propositions  to  amend  the 
code  of  Laws  or  to  amend  this  Constitution, 
may  be  made  in  writing  at  any  meeting  of 
the  League,  but  it  shall  require  a  vote  of 
three-fourths  of  the  number  present  to  adopt 
such  amendment. 

Sec.  2.  Amendments  to  the  code  of  law^s 
shall  go  into  effect  sixty  days  after  the  ad- 
journment of  the  meeting  of  the  League  at 
which  they  are  adopted. 


OFFICERS    OF    THE    AMERICAN 
WHIST    LEAGUE,    1894-95. 

president. 

John  M.  Walton, 

4205  Chester  Avenue,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

vice-president. 

Theodore  Schwarz, 

6  and  8  Sherman  Street,  Chicago,  111. 

treasurer. 

Benjamin  L.  Richards, 

Rock  Rapids,  Iowa. 


244  APPENDIX   B 

recording  secretary. 

Walter  H.  Barney, 

Industrial  Trust  Company  Building,  Providence,  R.  I. 

corresponding  secretary. 

Robert  H.  Weems, 

220  Lincoln  Place,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

ex-president. 

Eugene  S.  Elliott, 

Pabst  Building,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

DIRECTORS. 

Te7-iii  Expires  iSgj. 

J.  H.  Briggs, 

Minneapolis  Chess,  Checker  and  Whist  Club, 

Minneapolis,  Minn. 

H.  A.  Mandell, 
40  Buhl  Block,  Detroit,  Mich. 

E.  Leroy  Smith, 
619  Broadway,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

P.   J.    TORMEY, 

220  Sutter  Street,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Tcr77t  Expires  i8qb. 

Charles  E.  Coffin, 
90  East  Market  Street,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

C.  D.  P.  Hamilton, 
Easton,  Pa. 

A.  G.  Safford, 
1416  F  Street,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Nicholas  B.  Trist, 
162  Common  Street,  New  Orleans,  La. 


APPENDIX    B  245 

Term  Expires  iSgj. 

George  H.  Fish, 
37  Union  Square,  New  York,  N,  Y. 

B.  D.  Kribben, 
Bank  of  Commerce  Building,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

George  W.  Morse, 
28  State  Street,  Boston.  Mass. 

E.  H.  Shepard, 
PortJand,  Ore. 


APPENDIX  C. 
THE   AMERICAN    LAWS   OF    WHIST, 

AS  REVISED  AND  ADOPTED  BY  THE  AMERICAN 
WHIST  LEAGUE  AT  THEIR  THIRD  CONGRESS, 
CHICAGO,    JUNE,    1893. 

(Reprinted,  by  permission,  from  the  Official  Proceedings  of  the 
Congress.) 

THE   G A:\IE. 


I.  A  game  consists  of  seven   points,  each  trick  above 
counting  one.     Tiie  value  of  the  game  is  determined 
by  deducting  the  losers'  score  from  seven. 


SIX 


FORMING    THE   TABLE. 

2.  Those  first  in  the  room  have  the  preference.  If,  by 
reason  of  two  or  more  arriving  at  the  same  time,  more 
than  four  assemble,  the  preference  among  the  last  comers 
is  determined  by  cutting,  a  lower  cut  giving  the  preference 
over  all  cutting  higher.  A  complete  table  consists  of  six  ; 
the  four  having  the  preference  play.  Partners  are  deter- 
mined by  cutting :  the  highest  two  play  against  the  lowest 
two  ;  the  lowest  deals  and  has  the  choice  of  seats  and 
cards. 

3.  If  two  players  cut  intermediate  cards  of  equal  value, 


APPENDIX    C  247 

they  cut  again,  and  the  lower  of  the  new  cut  plays  with 
the  original  lowest. 

4.  If  three  players  cut  cards  of  equal  value,  they  cut 
again.  If  the  fourth  has  cut  the  highest  card,  the  lowest 
two  of  the  new  cut  are  partners,  and  the  lowest  deals. 
If  the  fourth  has  cut  the  lowest  card,  he  deals,  and  the 
highest  two  of  the  new  cut  are  partners. 

5.  At  the  end  of  a  game,  if  there  arc  more  than  four 
belonging  to  the  table,  a  sufificient  number  of  the  players 
retire  to  admit  those  awaiting  their  turn  to  play.  In  de- 
termining which  players  remain  in,  those  who  have  played 
a  less  number  of  consecutive  games  have  the  preference 
over  all  who  have  played  a  greater  number  ;  between  two 
or  more  who  have  played  an  equal  number,  the  preference 
is  determined  by  cutting,  a  lower  cut  giving  the  preference 
over  all  cutting  higher. 

6.  To  entitle  one  to  enter  a  table,  he  must  declare  his 
intention  to  do  so  before  any  one  of  the  players  has  cut 
for  the  purpose  of  commencing  a  new  game  or  of  cutting 
out. 

CUTTING. 

7.  In  cutting,  the  ace  is  the  lowest  card.  All  must  cut 
from  the  same  pack.  If  a  player  exposes  more  than  one 
card,  he  must  cut  again.  Drawing  cards  from  the  out- 
spread pack  may  be  resorted  to  in  place  of  cutting. 

SHUFFLING. 

8.  Before  every  deal,  the  cards  must  be  shuffled. 
When  two  packs  are  used,  the  dealer's  partner  must  col- 
lect and  shuffle  the  cards  for  the  ensuing  deal,  and  place 
them  at  his  right  hand.  In  all  cases  the  dealer  may  shuf- 
fle last. 

9.  A  pack  must  not  be  shuffled  during  the  play  of  a 
hand,  nor  so  as  to  expose  the  face  of  any  card. 


248  APPENDIX  C 


CUTTING  TO  THE  DEALER. 

10.  The  dealer  must  present  the  pack  to  his  right-hand 
adversary  to  be  cut ;  the  adversary  must  take  a  por- 
tion from  the  top  of  the  pack  and  place  it  towards  the 
dealer ;  at  least  four  cards  must  be  left  in  each  packet ; 
the  dealer  must  reunite  the  packets  by  placing  the  one  not 
removed  in  cutting  upon  the  other. 

11.  If,  in  cutting  or  in  reuniting  the  separate  packets,  a 
card  is  exposed,  the  pack  must  be  reshuffled  by  the  dealer 
and  cut  again  ;  if  there  is  any  confusion  of  the  cards,  or 
doubt  as  to  where  the  pack  was  separated,  there  must  be 
a  new  cut. 

12.  If  the  dealer  reshuffles  the  pack  after  it  has  been 
properly  cut,  he  loses  his  deal. 

DEALING. 

13.  When  the  pack  has  been  properly  cut  and  reunited, 
the  dealer  must  distribute  the  cards,  one  at  a  time  to  each 
player  in  regular  rotation,  beginning  at  his  left.  The  last, 
which  is  the  trump  card,  must  be  turned  up  before  the 
dealer.  At  the  end  of  the  hand,  or  when  the  deal  is  lost, 
the  deal  passes  to  the  player  next  to  the  dealer  on  his  left, 
and  so  on  to  each  in  turn. 

14.  There  must  be  a  new  deal  by  the  same  dealer  : — 

I.  If  any  card  except  the  last  is  faced  in  the  pack. 

II.  If,  during  the  deal  or  during  the  play  of  the  hand, 
the  pack  is  proved  incorrect  or  imperfect ;  but  any  prior 
score  made  with  that  pack  shall  stand. 

15.  If,  during  the  deal,  a  card  is  exposed,  the  side  not 
in  fault  may  demand  a  new  deal,  provided  neither  of  that 
side  has  touched  a  card.  If  a  new  deal  does  not  take 
place,  the  exposed  card  is  not  liable  to  be  called. 

16.  Anv  one  dealing  out  of  turn,  or  with  his  adversaries' 


APPENDIX    C  249 

cards,  may  be  stopped  before  the  trump  card  is  turned,  after 
which  the  deal  is  vahd,  and  the  cards,  if  changed,  so  re- 
main. 

MISDEALING. 

17.  It  is  a  misdeal :—  1  1  •      j 

I  If  the  dealer  omits  to  have  the  pack  cut,  and  his  ad- 
versaries discover  the  error  before  the  trump  card  is 
turned,  and  before  looking  at  any  of  their  cards. 

II.  If  he  deals  a  card  incorrectly  and  fails  to  correct  the 
error  before  dealing  another. 

III.  If  he  counts  the  cards  on  the  table  or  m  the  re- 
mainder of  the  pack. 

IV  If  having  a  perfect  pack,  he  does  not  deal  to  each 
player  the  proper  number  of  cards,  and  the  error  is  dis- 
covered before  all  have  played  to  the  f^rst  trick. 

V.  If  he  looks  at  the  trump  card  before  the  deal  is  com- 
pleted. ,  , 

VI.  If  he  places  the  trump  card  face  downwards  upon 
his  own  or  any  other  player's  cards.  ^     ,     •  , 

A  misdeal  loses  the  deal,  unless  during  the  deal  either 
of  the  adversaries  touches  a  card  or  in  any  other  manner 
interrupts  the  dealer. 


THE  TRUMP   CARD, 
l" 


o  The  dealer  must  leave  the  trump  card  face  upwards 
uu  the  table  until  it  is  his  turn  to  play  to  the  f^rst  trick.  If 
it  is  left  on  the  table  until  after  the  second  trick  has  been 
turned  and  quitted,  it  is  liable  to  be  called.  After  it  has 
been  lawfully  taken  up,  it  must  not  be  named,  and  any 
player  naming  it  is  liable  to  have  his  highest  or  his  lowest 
trump  called  by  either  adversary.  A  player  may,  however. 
ask  what  the  trump  suit  is. 


250  APPENDIX    C 


IRREGULARITIES    IN    THE   HANDS. 

19.  If,  at  any  time  after  all  have  played  to  the  nrst  trick, 
the  pack  being  perfect,  a  player  is  found  to  have  either 
more  or  less  than  his  correct  number  of  cards,  and  his  ad- 
versaries have  their  right  number,  the  latter,  upon  the  dis- 
covery of  such  surplus  or  deficiency,  may  consult  and  shall 
have  the  choice  : — 

I,  To  have  a  new  deal ;  or 

II.  To  have  the  hand  played  out;  in  which  case  the 
surplus  or  missing  card  or  cards  are  not  taken  into  ac- 
count. 

If  either  of  the  adversaries  also  has  more  or  less  than 
his  correct  number,  there  must  be  a  new  deal. 

I  any  player  has  a  surplus  card,  by  reason  of  an  omis- 
sion to  play  to  a  trick,  his  adversaries  can  exercise  the 
foregoing  privilege  only  after  he  has  played  to  the  trick 
following  the  one  in  which  such  omission  occurred. 


CARDS   LIABLE   TO    BE   CALLED. 

20.  The  following  cards  are  liable  to  be  called  by  either 
adversary : — 

I.  Every  card  faced  upon  the  table  otheru'ise  than  in 
the  regular  course  of  play,  but  not  including  a  card  led  out 
of  turn. 

II.  Every  card  thrown  with  the  one  led  or  played  to  the 
current  trick.  The  player  must  indicate  the  one  led  or 
played. 

III.  Every  card  so  held  by  a  player  that  his  partner  sees 
any  portion  of  its  face. 

IV.  All  the  cards  in  a  hand  lowered  or  shown  by  a 
player  so  that  his  partner  sees  more  than  one  card  of  it. 

V.  Every  card  named  by  the  player  holding  it. 


APPENDIX    C  251 

21.  All  cards  liable  to  be  called  must  be  placed  and  left 
face  upwards  on  the  table.  A  player  must  lead  or  play 
them  when  they  are  called,  provided  he  can  do  so  without 
revoking.  The  call  may  be  repeated  at  each  trick  until 
the  card  is  played.  A  player  cannot  be  prevented  from 
leading  or  playing  a  card  liable  to  be  called  ;  if  he  can  get 
rid  of  it  in  the  course  of  play,  no  penalty  remains. 

22.  If  a  player  leads  a  card  better  than  any  of  his  ad- 
versaries hold  of  the  suit,  and  then  leads  one  or  more 
other  cards  without  waiting  for  his  partner  to  play,  the 
latter  may  be  called  upon  by  either  adversary  to  take  the 
first  trick,  and  the  other  cards  thus  improperly  played  are 
liable  to  be  called ;  it  makes  no  difference  whether  he 
plays  them  one  after  the  other  or  throws  them  all  on  the 
table  together  ;  after  the  first  card  is  played,  the  others  are 
liable  to  be  called. 

23.  A  player  having  a  card  liable  to  be  called  must  not 
play  another  until  the  adversaries  have  stated  whether  or 
not  they  wish  to  call  the  card  liable  to  the  penalty.  If  he 
plays  another  card  without  awaiting  the  decision  of  the 
adversaries,  such  other  card  also  is  liable  to  be  called. 


LEADING   OUT   OF   TURN. 

24.  If  any  player  leads  out  of  turn,  a  suit  may  be  called 
from  him  or  his  partner  the  first  time  it  is  the  turn  of 
either  of  them  to  lead.  The  penalty  can  be  enforced  only 
oy  the  adversary  on  the  right  of  the  player  from  whom  a 
suit  can  lawfully  be  called. 

If  a  player,  so  called  on  to  lead  a  suit,  has  none  of  it, 
or  if  all  have  played  to  the  false  lead,  no  penalty  can  be 
enforced.  If  all  have  not  played  to  the  trick,  the  cards 
erroneously  played  to  such  false  lead  are  not  liable  to  be 
called,  and  must  be  taken  back. 


252  APPENDIX   C 


PLAYING   OUT   OF   TURN. 

25.  If  the  third  hand  plays  before  the  second,  the  fourth 
hand  may  also  play  before  the  second. 

26.  If  the  third  hand  has  not  played,  and  the  fourth 
hand  plays  before  the  second,  the  latter  may  be  called 
upon  by  the  third  hand  to  play  his  highest  or  lowest  card 
of  the  suit  led,  or  if  he  has  none,  to  trump  or  not  to  trump 
the  trick. 

ABANDONED    HANDS. 

27.  If  all  four  players  throw  their  cards  on  the  table, 
face  upwards,  no  further  play  of  that  hand  is  permitted. 
The  result  of  the  hand,  as  then  claimed  or  admitted,  is 
established,  provided  that,  if  a  revoke  is  discovered,  the 

revoke  penalty  attaches. 


REVOKING. 

28.  A  revoke  is  a  renounce  in  error,  not  corrected  in 
time.  A  player  renounces  in  error,  when,  holding  one  or 
more  cards  of  the  suit  led,  he  plays  a  card  of  a  different 
suit. 

A  renounce  in  error  may  be  corrected  by  the  player 
making  it,  before  the  trick  in  which  it  occurs  has  been 
turned  and  quitted,  unless  either  he  or  his  partner,  whether 
in  his  right  turn  or  otherwise,  has  led  or  played  to  the  fol- 
lowing trick,  or  unless  his  partner  has  asked  whether  or 
not  he  has  any  of  the  suit  renounced. 

29.  If  a  plaver  corrects  his  mistake  in  time  to  save  a 
revoke,  the  card  improperly  played  by  him  is  liable  to  be 
called  ;  any  player  or  players,  who  have  played  after  him, 
may  withdraw  their  cards  and  substitute  others  ;  the  cards 
so  v/ithdrawn  are  not  liable  to  be  called. 


APPENDIX   C  253 

30.  The  penalty  for  revoking  is  the  transfer  of  two 
tricks  from  the  revoking  side  to  their  adversaries ;  it  can 
be  enforced  for  as  many  revokes  as  occur  during  the 
hand.  The  revoking  side  cannot  win  the  game  in  that 
hand ;  if  both  sides  revoke,  neither  can  win  the  game  in 
that  hand. 

31.  The  revoking  player  and  his  partner  may  require  the 
hand,  in  which  the  revoke  has  been  made,  to  be  played  out, 
and  score  all  points  made  by  them  up  to  the  score  of  six. 

32.  At  the  end  of  a  hand,  the  claimants  of  a  revoke 
may  search  all  the  tricks.  If  the  cards  have  been  mixed, 
the  claim  may  be  urged  and  proved  if  possible  ;  but  no 
proof  is  necessary,  and  the  revoke  is  established,  if,  after 
it  has  been  claimed,  the  accused  player  or  his  partner 
mixes  the  cards  before  they  have  been  examined  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  adversaries. 

33.  The  revoke  can  be  claimed  at  any  time  before  the 
cards  have  been  presented  and  cut  for  the  following  deal, 
but  not  thereafter. 


MISCELLANEOUS. 

34.  Any  one,  during  the  play  of  a  trick  and  before  the 
cards  have  been  touched  for  the  purpose  of  gathering 
them  together,  may  demand  that  the  players  draw  their 
cards. 

35.  If  any  one,  prior  to  his  partner  playing,  calls  atten- 
tion in  any  manner  to  the  trick  or  to  the  score,  the  ad- 
versary last  to  play  to  the  trick  may  require  the  offender's 
partner  to  play  his  highest  or  lowest  of  the  suit  led,  or,  if 
he  has  none,  to  trump  or  not  to  trump  the  trick. 

36.  If  any  player  says  "  I  can  win  the  rest,"  "  The  rest 
are  ours,"  "  We  have  the  game,"  or  words  to  that  effect, 
his  partner's  cards  must  be  laid  upon  the  table,  and  are 
liable  to  be  called. 


2  54  APPENDIX   C 

37.  When  a  trick  has  been  turned  and  quitted,  it  must 
not  again  be  seen  until  after  the  hand  has  been  played. 
A  violation  of  this  law  subjects  the  offender's  side  to  the 
same  penalty  as  in  case  of  a  lead  out  of  turn. 

38.  If  a  player  is  lawfully  called  upon  to  play  the  high- 
est or  lowest  of  a  suit,  or  to  trump  or  not  to  trump  a 
trick,  or  to  lead  a  suit,  and  unnecessarily  fails  to  comply, 
he  is  liable  to  the  same  penalty  as  if  he  had  revoked. 

39.  In  all  cases  where  a  penalty  has  been  incurred, 
the  offender  must  await  the  decision  of  the  adversaries. 
If  either  of  them,  with  or  without  his  partner's  consent, 
demands  a  penalty  to  which  they  are  entitled,  such  deci- 
sion is  final.  If  the  wrong  adversary  demands  a  penalty, 
or  a  wrong  penalty  is  demanded,  none  can  be  enforced. 

40.  League  clubs  may  adopt  any  rule  requiring  or  per- 
mitting methods  of  scoring  or  of  forming  the  table,  differ- 
ent from  those  above  prescribed. 


THE    ETIQUETTE   OF  WHIST, 

AS     ADOPTED     BY    THE    THIRD     AMERICAN    WHIST 
CONGRESS,  CHICAGO,  JUNE  20-24,   1893. 

The  following  rules  belong  to  the  established  Code  of 
Whist  Etiquette.  They  are  formulated  with  a  view  to 
discourage  and  repress  certain  improprieties  of  conduct 
therein  pointed  out,  which  are  not  reached  by  the  laws. 
The  courtesy  which  marks  the  intercourse  of  gentlemen 
will  regulate  other  more  obvious  cases. 

I.  No  conversation  should  be  indulged  in  during  the 
play  except  such  as  is  allowed  by  the  laws  of  the  game. 

II.  No  player  should  in  any  manner  whatsoever  give 


APPENDIX    C  255 

any  intimation  as  to  the  state  of  liis  hand  or  of  the  game, 
or  of  approval  or  disapproval  of  a  play. 

III.  No  player  should  lead  until  the  preceding  trick  is 
turned  and  quitted. 

IV.  No  player  should,  after  having  led  a  winning  card, 
draw  a  card  from  his  hand  for  another  lead  until  his  part- 
ner has  played  to  the  current  trick. 

V.  No  player  should  play  a  card  in  any  manner  so  as 
to  call  particular  attention  to  it,  nor  should  he  demand 
that  the  card  be  placed  in  order  to  attract  the  attention  of 
his  partner. 

VI.  No  player  should  purposely  incur  a  penalty  because 
he  is  willing  to  pay  it,  nor  should  he  make  a  second  revoke 
in  order  to  conceal  one  previously  made. 

VII.  No  player  should  take  advantage  of  information 
imparted  by  his  partner  through  a  breach  of  etiquette. 

VIII.  No  player  should  object  to  referring  a  disputed 
question  of  fact  to  a  bystander,  who  professes  himself  un- 
interested in  the  result  of  the  game  and  able  to  decide  the 
question. 

IX.  Bystanders  should  not  in  any  manner  call  attention 
to  or  give  any  intimation  concerning  the  play  or  the  state 
of  the  game,  during  the  play  of  a  hand.  They  should  not 
look  over  the  hand  of  a  player  without  his  permission,  nor 
should  they  walk  around  the  table  to  look  at  the  different 
hands. 


It  will  be  seen,  by  comparing  the  above 
Code  of  Laws  with  the  English  one,  that 
they  have  been  much  reduced  in  number,  and 
have  at  the  same  time  been  made  more  ex- 
plicit on  doubtful  points.  The  scoring  is 
altered  (as  explained  on  page  154)  giving  the 


256  APPENDIX    C 

"  Straight  Whist"  only.  Some  of  the  penal- 
ties have  been  slightly  changed  ;  the  last 
turned  trick  is  forbidden  to  be  looked  at,  and 
some  attempts  are  made  to  promote  silence 
during  play.  The  English  custom  of  allow- 
ing the  partner  of  a  renouncing  player  to 
ask  if  he  has  any  more  of  this  suit,  has  been 
abolished  in  America,  after  much  discussion. 


APPENDIX  D. 

EXAiMFLES  OF  MATCHES  PLAYED 
IN  DUPLICATE  AT  AMERICAN 
WHIST   TOURNAMENTS. 


(Extracted,  by  permission,  from  the  Milwaukee  "  Whist  "  Journal, 
August,  1892.) 


NO.   I. 

Match  for  the  Hamilton  Whist 
Trophy,  Played  at  the  Second  Con- 
gress OF  THE  American  Whist  League. 

Interest  in  the  games  of  the  Congress  centred  in  the 
great  match  for  the  trophy  offered  to  the  League  by  the 
Hamilton  Club  of  Philadelphia. 

The  sub-committee  of  the  Executive  Committee,  to 
whom  the  arrangement  of  these  battles  had  been  referred, 
had  been  unable,  on  account  of  several  various  circum- 
stances, to  have  a  meeting  so  as  to  come  to  any  agree- 
ment before  the  preliminary  meeting  of  the  Executive 
Committee,  held  the  week  prior  to  the  opening  session  of 
the  Congress,  and  then  when  the  Executive  Committee 
had  decided  upon  a  plan  no  one  was  disposed  to  give  it  a 
full  indorsement.  Under  the  plan  as  adopted  it  was  ar- 
ranged that  the  clubs  entering  the  contest  should  be  drawn 
17 


258  APPENDIX   D 

to  play  twenty-four  hands  with  some  other  club,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  such  play  a  re-drawing  should  be  had 
for  another  match  of  twenty-four  hands.  It  was  provided 
that  the  club  losing  two  of  such  matches  should  fall  out 
of  the  contest.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  under  such  rules  no 
adequate  decision  could  be  made  of  the  competency  and 
skill  of  the  various  contestants,  but  in  the  absence  of  that 
experience  which  is  the  most  competent  teacher  of  the 
exact  number  of  teams  that  would  enter  the  struggle,  it  is 
probable  that  the  plan  adopted  was  as  satisfactory  as  any 
that  could  have  been  devised  within  the  limited  time  al- 
lowed. 

At  the  opening  match,  although  twenty-two  teams  had 
signified  their  intention  of  entering  the  contest,  only  six- 
teen were  actually  at  hand.  The  contest  opened  Tuesday 
evening,  July  19.  Teams  began  dropping  out  under  the 
rules  by  the  evening  of  the  following  day,  so  that  by  Fri- 
day evening  the  number  of  contestants  was  reduced  to 
the  Milwaukee,  which  had  not,  at  that  time,  lost  a  match ; 
to  the  Hamilton  Club,  which  had  lost  one  match,  and  the 
Capital  Bicycle  Club,  which  had  lost  one  match.  The  two 
latter  clubs  were  drawn  to  play  against  each  other  Friday 
evening,  the  Milwaukee  Club  standing  by.  The  struggle 
between  the  Capital  Bicycles  and  the  Hamiltons  was  ex- 
ceedingly interesting,  and  the  play  reflected  great  credit 
upon  both  clubs,  but  resulted  in  favor  of  the  Capital  Bi- 
cycles, who  were  then  appointed  to  play  against  the  Mil- 
waukee on  Saturday  morning. 

At  the  completion  of  the  play  of  twenty-four  hands  be- 
tween these  two  clubs  the  score  stood  tied,  whereupon  a 
second  match  of  sixteen  hands  was  arranged,  which  also 
tied;  this  tie  was  played  off  in  eight  hands,  resulting 
favorably  to  the  Capital  Bicycles  by  one  point,  which  club 
had  now  lost  one  match,  and  under  the  rules  were  obliged 
to  enter  a  second  and  deciding  fight  against  each  other ; 


APPENDIX   D  259 

but  the  long-  contention  and  struggle  had  completely  ex- 
hausted the  members  of  the  Milwaukee  team,  some  of 
whom  had  begun  the  fight  in  poor  physical  condition  and 
protested  against  being  obliged  to  enter  another  the  same 
evening.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Capital  Bicycles  men 
were  obliged  to  return  to  Washington,  so  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  arrange  a  meeting  the  following  Monday. 
Under  these  circumstances,  the  two  clubs  united  in  a  re- 
quest to  the  Executive  Committee  proposing  that  the  de- 
ciding game  be  played  on  the  first  day  of  the  Third  Whist 
Congress,  and  giving  the  custody  of  the  trophy  for  the 
first  six  months  to  the  Capital  Club,  and  for  the  remainder 
of  the  time  before  the  meeting  of  the  Third  Congress  to 
the  Milwaukee  Club.  ^ 

Under  the  circumstances,  this  was  a  very  fortunate  dis- 
position of  the  matter  ;  the  two  clubs  had  made  a  heroic 
fight  and  it  would  have  been  cruel  to  have  forced  the  one 
to  have  gone  into  the  concluding  contest  in  an  exhausted 
condition  after  seven  hours'  continuous  play,  and  equally 
cruel  to  force  its  antagonist  into  a  defeat  by  reason  of  in- 
ability to  attend  at  a  deferred  time.  At  present  both  clubs 
stand  upon  an  equal  footing  as  regards  the  trophy,  and 
both  have  equal  interests  in  it  and  will  be  given  its  cus- 
tody for  a  reasonable  length  of  time,  and  both  will  be 
obliged  to  maintain  their  rights  before  the  beginning  of 
the  Third  Congress.  The  custody  of  the  trophy  for  the 
first  six  months  was  conceded  by  the  Milwaukee  Club  to 
the  Capitals  voluntarily,  for  the  reason  that  it  was  thought 
that  the  interest  awakened  in  the  game  by  this  match 
would  be  directed  to  the  material  advantage  of  the  Capital 
Club,  if  that  club  was  to  be  allowed  to  hold  the  cup  while 
such  interest  was  at  its  height. 

The  table  on  the  following  page  gives  the  record  of  the 
clubs  participating  in  the  match  for  the  Hamilton  Club 
Trophy : 


26o 


APPENDIX   D 


CLUBS.* 

< 

6 

i 

u 

s 
U 

6 

S 

i 

u 

4 

7 

3 

1 

2 

s 
c 

a 

E 
9 

i'J  L 

z  ;^  ^  5 

i 

4 

1 1 

Amrita,  Ponghkeepsie,  N.  Y 

..'.. 

9    4 

■;:: 

3^ 

.. 

•• 

•• 

.. 

I 

1 

Chicago,  Chicago 

1 

o    o 

Columbia  Athletic,\Vashington,  D.C. 

Commonwealth,  Worcester,  Mass 

Fanwood   Philadelphia 

.. 

■■ 

4 

!! 

;• 

;| 

■•I' I 

■• 

9 

o    o 
o   o 

S     2 

27    4 
0    o 

Miiiheim,  Philadelphia 

S" 
3  •• 

6 

2 

1; 

7 

2 

7 
i6 

2 

7 

27    5 

3  I 

7     2 

4  2 

Narragansett,  Providence,  R.  I 

Providence,  Providence,  R.  1 

St.  Paul,  St.  Paul,  Minn 

'.'. 

1 

I 
6 

7 

IS 

2 

5 

- 
II 

17    3 

O     0 

Wilmington,  Wilmington,  Del 

11    I 

1 

1 

Games  Lost 



2 

" 

" 

" 

* 

" 

[The  details  of  each  item  of  the  foregoing  General  Table 
are  given  in  32  additional  elaborate  Tables,  of  which  it 
must  suffice  to  give  the  two  following,  as  specimens.] 

HAMILTON    r5.   CARLETON. 

Table  I. 

Deals  1-8. 
vs. 

Deals  9-16. 


Work  &  Ballard 
Work  &  Remak 
Remak  &  Ballard 

Remak  &  Townsend 
Ballard  &  Townsend 
Work  &  Townsend 


Deals  17-24. 


Table  II. 

Deals  1-8. 

vs. 

Deals  9-16. 

vs. 

Deals  17-24. 
vs. 


Van  Vleck  &  Clement. 
Bailey  &  Clement. 
Bailey  &  Van  Vleck, 

Bailey  &  Weems. 

Van  Vleck  &  Weems. 

Clement  &  Weems. 


APPENDIX 

D 

261 

Tab.   I. 

Tab.  2. 

Gain. 

Deal. 

Tab.  I. 

Tab.  2. 

Gain. 

12 

3 

2 

..    I 

I 

10 

8 

7 

2 

.  .    2 

5 

6 

6 

7 

.. 

.•   3---- 

7 

6 

6 

8 

I 

..  4 

7 

5 

8 

5 

. . 

.  •  5  •  •  •  • 

5 

8 

6 

9 

2 

.  6.... 

7 

4 

8 

5 

.  . 

.   7-.-. 

5 

8 

4 

8 

.. 

.   8.... 

9 

5 

6 

6 

.  . 

..  9-... 

7 

7 

4 

8 

.. 

.lO 

9 

5 

9 

6 

2 

.11 

4 

7 

.. 

6 

9 

2 

.12 

7 

4 

.. 

9 

3 

.13.... 

4 

10 

2 

II 

.14.... 

II 

2 

6 

lO 

3       •• 

.I5..-- 

7 

3 

5 

7 

.. 

.16.... 

8 

6 

8 

7 

2 

.17.... 

S 

6 

7 

7 

I 

.18.... 

6 

6 

I 

II 

.19.... 

12 

2 

7 

4 

.20 

6 

9 

6 

9 

2 

.21  ...  . 

7 

4 

5 

8 

. 22.  .  .  . 

8 

5 

6 

7 



.23.      .. 

7 

6 

7 

4 

.24.... 

6 

9 

2 

19 

10 

Net  gain  for  Hamilton,  9  tricks. 


MANHEIM  l^S.   PROVIDENCE. 
Table  I. 


Dea/s  1-8. 

Banks  &  Hawley 

vs. 

Deals  9-16. 

Banks  &  Borda 

vs. 

Deals  17-24 

Banks  &  Newhall 

vs. 

Calder  &  Bowen. 


Falkenbursr  &  Bowen. 


Bowen  &  Morse. 


262 


APPENDIX   D 


Ncwhall  &  Borda 
Newhall  &  Hawley 
Hawley  &.  Borda 


Table  II. 

£>ea/s  1-8. 
vs. 

Deals  9-16. 


Morse  &  Falkenburg, 


Calder  &  Morse, 


Deals  17-24. 

vs.  Calder  &  Falkenburg.> 


Tab.  I. 

Tab.  2. 

Gain. 

Deal. 

Tab.  I. 

Tib.  2. 

Gain. 

7 

6 

...  I  .  .  . 

6 

7 

6 

6 

...  2.  .  . 

7 

7 

10 

3 

...  3--- 

3 

10 

.. 

9 

3 

...  4... 

4 

10 

6 

6 

...  5... 

7 

7 

7 

7 

I 

...  6... 

6 

6 

7 

7 

I 

...  7  •• 

6 

6 

II 

3 

I 

...  8... 

2 

10 

9 

3 

...  9--- 

4 

10 

5 

7 

...10. . . 

8 

6 

6 

7 

.  ..II  .  . 

7 

6 

8 

4 

. .  12  . . . 

5 

9 

9 

3 

.  ..-13. .  . 

4 

10 

10 

3 

...14... 

3 

10 

7 

5 

...15... 

6 

8 

4 

9 

...16... 

9 

4 

•• 

7 

4 

...17... 

6 

9 

7 

7 

...18... 

6 

6 

5 

7 

. . .19  . . 

8 

6 

10 

2 

20. . . 

3 

II 

9 

4 

. .  .21  . . 

4 

9 

8 

7 

. .  .22. . . 

5 

6 

3 

10 

...23... 

10 

3 

6 

7 

...24... 

7 

6 

Net  £iain  for  Providence,  6  tricks. 


APPENDIX   D 


263 


NO.    2, 


A  Personal  Match  Between  Ladies  and 
Gentlemen,  Played  at  a  Tourna- 
ment  OF  THE   BaRABOO    WhIST   ClUB. 


COPY    OF   THE    SCORE   SHEET. 


II                                  Id     1      v\ 

H.  Mould. 
.  H.  Mould 
n.  Mould, 
m.  Mould. 
Grotophors 
rotophorst. 
D.  Evans. 
.  D.  Evans. 
F.  Reiner. 
.  L.  Drown 
P.  McFetri 
.  M.  Potter. 

H.  I-etridg 
eo.  McEetri 
j7Koch. 
.  B.  Potter. 

1 

"c 

ti 

wW 

^2--7^aO^;i^^Sy-^^O^S    - 

cS 

d  i2 

c^  en  ^i:|.-E^.«  c.^  c.^  dF  % 

h 

S§ 

SS  S2  SS|S^  SS  SS  SS 

^S|H 

^ 

.... 

156  1  160    158 

156 

153  I  iSS  1  161 

1 

Mrs.  E.  G.  Marriott )" 

159  1258    1571^ 

Mr   M    H    Mould                             1 

156 

....  1561158 

149 

161  j  158    15s 

154 

Mrs.  M.  H.  Mould ) 

1247    155% 

Mr.  Sim.  Mould  1 

152 
154 

156  .... 

154    155 

157 

157 
150 

ISO    166     162 

154 
152 

1254    156^ 

Mr.  H.  Grotophurst ) 

Mrs.  H .  Grotophorst f 

Mr   R    D    Evans                             | 

156 

i 
144    154 

1219 

152?6 

Mrs   R    D.  Evans         f 

159 

163    155 

162 
156 

159 

153 

160    158 
164    155 

154 

1262 
1260 

157^ 

151 

162 

Miss  M  .L.  Drown ( 

i57>^ 

Mr.  E.  P.  McFetndge 1 

MissK.M.  Potter..    \ 

157 

154 

146 

168 

152 

148 

163 

155 

1243 

155H 

Mr.  W.  II.  McFetridge ( 

Miss  Geo.  McFetridge ) 

151 

157 

150 

158 

154 

157 

149 

.... 

150 

1226 1  153H 

Mr.  R.  J.  Koch ^ 

Miss  M.  B.  Potter I 

.5, 

158 

158 

160 

157 

158 

157 

162 

1263 

i57;S 

The  above  play  was  for  a  pair  of  fine  French  opera 
glasses  presented  by  Mr.  H.  M.  Acott,  the  leading  light  in 
Whist  circles  at  Baraboo,  as  prizes  for  the  best  records. 

The  rules  governing  the  match  were  that  every  gentle- 
man participating  must  be  a  member  of  the  club.  Each 
gentleman  to  choose  a  lady  as  a  partner  and  play  a  sitting 
against  every  other  couple.  As  the  record  shows,  the 
prizes  were  won  by  Mr.  R.  J.  Koch  and  Miss  Belle  Potter. 


INDEX 


America,  lo,  117,  134,  150 
American  Leads,   137,   139,   172, 

177,  213 
American  Whist  League,  6,  89, 

154,   160,  162,   168,   174,  178, 

183,  184,  236,  246 
Ames,  Fisher,  169,  180 
Annals  of  Gaming,  25 
Anson,  Hon.  Geo.,  87 
Antepenuhimate,  133 
Antony  and  Cleopatra,  15 
Arbitrary  Signals,  190 
Arlington  Club,  88 
Attention,  207 
Austria,  49,  85 

Backgammon,  59 

Baldwin,  J.  Loraine,  78,  87 

Baraboo,  263 

Barrington,  Hon.  Daines,  21,  52 

Bath,  43,  45,  49 

Battle,  Mrs.,  6 

Bell's  Life^  155 

Bentinck,  Lord  H.,  120,  124 

Bezique,  77 

Bidder,  Geo.  P.,  81 

Bilboquet,  43 

Bob  Short,  59 

Boyce,  Matthias,  180 

Blind  Player,  164 

Blue  Peter,  121,  189 

Brande's  Dictionary,  28 

British  Museum,  169 


Burney,  Admiral,  118 
Byron,  44 

Caelebs,  107,  120 

Calculation  Puzzle,  Sir,  39 

Cambridge,  42,  75 

Carlyon,  E.  A. ,  120 

Cavendish,  8,  10,  13,  44,  57,  ^^^ 
78,  79,  81,  87,  108,  123,  125, 
132,  134,  138  to  140,  143  to 
149,  153,  156,  160  to  166,  173 
to  176,  180,  195,  203  to  207, 
213,  214,  219,  220,  223 

Chance,  81 

Charles  X.,  48 

Charta  dominatrix,  16 

Cheating,  23,  24 

Chess,  59 

Chicago,  163,  246,  256 

Clay,  James,  6,  10,  'j^,,  7S,  78,  79, 
87,  89,  119,  122,  128,  132,  133, 
134,  190,  203,  211,  222 

Clubs,  London,  49 

Clubs,  American,  153,  159,  175 

Coeckelbergle  -  Dutzele,  Ritter, 
83.85 

Coffin,  Chas.,  170,  180 

Coleman,  224 

Columbia,  164 

Combination  of  hands,  80,  81 

Communication  between  part- 
ners, 100 

Complete  Gamester,  19 


266 


INDEX 


Congresses,  i6i  to  165,   168,  174, 

183,  236  to  246,  257 
Connoisseur,  The,  224 
Conservative  feeling,  213 
Contracts  of  Hazard,  loi 
Conventional     extensions,     125, 

126 
Conventionalities,  193 
Conventions,  145 
Conversation  of  Whist,  145,  146 
Cotgrave,  16 
Cotton,  Chas.,  19,  21,  24 
Coup,  220,  228 

Crown  Coffee  House,  35,  52,  92 
Curtains,  25 
Customs,  American,  151 

Decision,  209 

Decker,  21 

De  la  Rue,  95,  220 

Deschapelles,  6,  48,  79,  88,  175 

Difficulties  and  Disputes,  175 

Dillard,  H.  K.,  164 

Discard,  100 

Drayson,    Gen.,    133,     136,    163, 

206 
Duplicate  Whist,   155,   164,   169, 

257 


Fall  of  the  Cards,  55,  186 

FenoUosa,  W.  S.,  181 

Fie/d,  The,  81,  134,  139,  149,  153, 

156,  175 
Fielding,  22,  25 
Fittest,  survival  of,  13 
Folkestone,  Lord,  35 
Forcing,  94 
Foster,  R.   F.,  156,  159,  160,  168, 

169,  180,  205 
Fourth  best,  135,  136 
France,  Whist  in,  48 
Fraser's  Magaz'me,  86 
French  derivation  of  Whist,  22 
Fundamental  principles,  91 


Gambling,  2,  151 
Games  at  Cards,  tj 
Gammer  Gurton's  Needle, 
Gardiner,  Miss,  167 
General  d'Artillerie,  83 
Genie  du  W^hist,  82 
Gentleman  s  Magazine,  37 
Germ,  117,  121 
Gerold's  Sohn,  85 
Graham's  Club,  119 
Gurley,  R.  A.,  179 
Guy  de  Maupassant,  43 


15 


Early  History,  13 
Echo,  141,  213 
Educational  aspects,  109 
EUiott,  Eugene  S.,  162,  178,  180, 

183 
Erratic  play,  108 
Errors,  210 

Ethics,  loi,  128,  177, 183,  215 
Etiquette  of  Whist,  254 
Euchre,  174 
Evolution,  Passim 
Exclusiveness,  179 


C.    D.    P.,    171,    193, 


Hamilton, 

214 
Hamilton    Whist    Trophy, 

257 
Hand-book  of  Games,  66 
Harper  s  Magazine^  76 
Hay  ward,  Abraham,  87 
Hazard,  loi 
Hewby,  Dr.,  180 
Homer,  44 

Honours,  17,  50.  151,  160 
Hoyle,  Era  of,  23 


164, 


INDEX 


267 


Hoyle,  Book,  37,  57 

Hoyle   Game,    52,    93,    no,   134, 

200,  219,  224,  226 
Hoyle,  9,  10,  36,  81,   87,   95,    106, 

108,  138,  148,  166,  173,  186 
Hudibras,  19 
Humours  of  Whist,  39,  219 

Indifferent  Cards,  137 
Inferences,  55,  IP3,  208 
Interjectio,  20 

Jenks,  Mrs.,  167 
Johnson,  Dr.,  i,  19,  21,  23 
Jones,    Henry,   75,    76,   77,    155, 

162,  163,  164 
Jones,  H.  D.,  89 
Josephine,  48 
Judgment,  209 

Kartensprache,  84 

Ladies  and  Hoyle,  43 

Ladies'  Match,  263 

Lady  Whist  players,  112,  167 

Lamb,  Charles,  6 

Latimer,  14 

Latter-day    Improvements,    117, 

189,  212 
Laws,  7,  8,  59-87 
Laws,  American,  162,  163,  246 
Leads,  97,  88,  143,  146 
Leads,  American,  see  American 

Leads 
League,   American    Whist,    see 

American 
Literature,   Whist,    in   America, 

168 
Little  Whist   School,  75,  76,  77, 

92,  102,  122,  132,  155 
Logarithms,  224. 


Long  Suit,  54,  92,  141 
Long  Whist,  39,  51,  151,  224 
Louis  XV.,  48 
Luck,  effect  of,  152 
Lurchum,  41 

MacmUlan' s  Magazine,  77,  139 

Mann,  Sir  Horace,  43 

Marie  Louise,  48 

Marylebone,  44 

Master  Cards,  29,  30,  53 

Matches   or  Tournaments,    156, 

159,  161,  164,  257,  263 
Matthews,  9,  44,  63,   81,   95,    104, 

107,  108,  no,  186,  204 
Maxims,  42,  171 
Memoranda,  Short,  113 
Memory,  Artificial,  58,  61 
Memory  in  Whist  Play,  208 
Metternich,  49,  85 
Milton,  20 
Milwaukee,  166 
Model  Games,  79,  219,  224,  229 
Mogul,   180 
Money  Stakes,  214 
Mudie,  160,  169 
Musical  Whist,  220,  222,  230 
Mutual  understanding,  190 

Napier,  22  . 
Napoleon,  48,  211 
Nares,  16,  21 
Nature,  Evolution  in,  5,  7 
New  Orleans,  134 
New  York,  163 
Novelties  in  Whist,  127 

Observation,  207 
Odd  trick,  39 
Ombre,  20,  22 
Ordinaries,  35 


268 


INDEX 


Paine,  Cassius,  169,  179 
Paley,  loi,  128,  187,  191 
Partnership,  30,  80,  91,  118,   179 
Payne,  9,  44,  62,  106,  108,  no,  204 
Pembridge,  180 
Penultimate,   132,   133,   136,  147, 

180,  213 
Personal  skill,  207 
Pertinent  Maxims,  171 
Peterborough,  Lord,  49 
Phases  in  Whist  Evolution,  9 
Philadelphia,  164,  236 
Philosophical  Era,  t^ 
Philosophical  Game,    10,   13,  90, 

138,  141,    149,    160,    166,  168, 

181,  200,  202,  204 
Philosophy  of  Whist,   76,  81,  95, 

156 
Pioneer  Club,  171 
Piping  at  Whisk,  24 
Piquet,  26,  59,  77 
Plain  suits,  95,  97 
Pole,  W. ,  163 
Pope,  21,  25,  26 
Popularity  of  Whist,  173 
Portland  Club,  75,  89,  120,  121 
Primitive  Game.  9,  27,  200 
Probabilities,  66.  95 
Professional       Teaching,        see 

Teaching 

Quadrille,  26,  59,  77 
Quarterly  Review^  13,  87,  90,  112, 
166 

Rabelais,  14 

Rambler^  37 

Rape  of  the  Lock,  26 

Rationelle  Whist,  Das,  83 

Returned  Leads,  30,  99,  108 

Richard,  B.  L.,  179 


Ruff,  16 

Ruff  and  Honours,  17,  20 

Rufifing,  17,  94 

Saunders's  Coffee  House,  88 

Schiller,  84 

School,  see  Little  Whist  School 

Schwarz,  Theodore,  180 

Scoring,  28,  38,  151,  162 

Second  player,  99 

Self-playing  Cards,  168,  205 

Sequences,  105 

Seymour,  24 

Shakespeare,  15,  20 

Sharpers,  23 

Short  Memoranda,  113 

Short   Whist,   49,   74,    157,    160, 

215 
Signal  for  Trumps,  119,  194,  195 
Signals  and  Signalling,  117,  176, 

189,  191,  193 
Signalkunst,  84 
Silence,  19,  20,  21 
Singleton,  30 
Skill,  31,  68,  155 
Skinner,  20 
Small  Cards,  104 
Smith,  Le  Roy,  179 
Sound  play,  206 
Spenser,  20 
St.  Helena,  48 
Stevens,  H.  S.,  179 
Still,  Bishop,  15 
Straight  Whist,  154,  160 
Strategy  of  Whist,  169 
Students,  204 
Sub-echo,  141 
Survival  of  the  fittest,  13 
Swabbers,  22 
Swift,  23 
System,  212 


INDEX 


i6g 


Talleyrand,  48 
Tatler^  42 

Taylor,  Water  Poet,  18 

Taylor's  Motto,  18 

Teaching    Whist,    27^    55.    no. 
166 

Team,  158 

Tenison,  Archbishop,  23 

Theory  of  Whist,  80 

Third  hand,  100 

Thomson,  Alexander,  47,  230 

Thomson  (Seasons),  25 

Tormey,  P.  J.,  179 

Tournaments,  see  Matches 

Tricks,  29 

Trist,   N.   B  ,   134,   135,    137,  148, 
162,  163,  176 

Triumph,  La  Triomphe,  Trionfi, 
i4«,  16 

Trump  Echo,  141 

Trump  Signal,  see  Signal 

Trun^ping,  29,   30,  54,   see  Ruff- 
ing 

Trumps,  management  of,  93 

Turf  Club,  88 

Unblocking,  141,  142 
University  Whist,  42 

Vautre,  Baron  de,  82 
Verse,  Whist  Rules  in,  83 


Verstandigungsspiel,  84 
Vertebrates,  4 
Vienna,  83,  95 
Virgil,  84 

Wales,  H.  R.  H.,  the  Prince  of, 

89 
Walpole,  Horace,  43 
Wheelock,  Miss,  167 
Whisk,  18,  21,  24 
Whist,  a  Poem,  47 
Whist  a  Science  and  an  Art,  3 
Whist,  essence  of,  28 
Whist,  developments,    139,    142, 

214 
Whist,  its  great  variety,  3 
"  Whist  "  Journal,   76,    119,    149, 

155,  164,   168,    173,    174,   177, 

178,  179.  193 
Whist  Manual,  169 
Whist    Schools,    86,    see    Little 

Whist  School 
Whist  Queen,  167 
Whist,  sick,  6 
Whiston,  Professor,  39 
White's,  88 
Whitfeld,  149 
Wild,  Jonathan,  22 
Work,  M.  C,  179,  183 


I  Youth,  learning  Whist  i 


m,  112 


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